


Confined Spaces

by GhostOfTasslehoff, ZombieJesus



Category: Death Note & Related Fandoms, Death Note (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Attraction, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Emotional Roller Coaster, Emotional Sex, Feels, Flirting, Fluff and Angst, Kissing, Lies, M/M, Mind Games, Post-Yotsuba Arc, Snark, Stubborness, Surprises, Telling the truth is hard, Truth or Dare, apologies and confessions, broken elevator what do?, last chapter smutty, lawlight, not according to keikaku
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-08
Updated: 2019-05-25
Packaged: 2020-02-28 07:04:45
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 21,679
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18751435
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GhostOfTasslehoff/pseuds/GhostOfTasslehoff, https://archiveofourown.org/users/ZombieJesus/pseuds/ZombieJesus
Summary: Light and L must put their rivalry aside when they become trapped in the elevator of HQ, having to pass the time while waiting to get rescued. Neither have been willing to admit to their suppressed feelings, but disasters tend to unearth long-buried secrets.





	1. Stagnation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The handcuffs come off after Higuchi’s capture and death, but L isn’t convinced that Kira isn’t still beside him. Light has his memories back and a new plan-- to compromise the detective through seduction. Not everything goes according to keikaku.

Kira HQ was an explosion of energy and noise when Light was rudely yanked back into the monitor room at the end of the accursed chain he’d shared with L for months. But that cacophony was nothing compared to the adrenaline pumping through his veins, the triumphant symphonies he was hearing in his mind. It had all come back in a rush the moment he’d touched the death note in the helicopter-- every brilliant ploy, all the times L had stymied or pursued him, the overwhelming and _real_ magic at his fingertips again, and the simpler but no less sweet magic of finally remembering who he was.

 

It had been a hellish and stagnant few months, punctuated only by the occasional fight with L or Misa’s annoying “dates,” before he made the breakthrough regarding what the Yotsuba Group had really been up to. _So ironic that I was the one to point out the pattern to you in my ignorant state._ But Light had (correctly) deduced that without his memories of being Kira, he would want nothing more than to pursue any line of justice in front of him to its eventual end. Even if that line connected him via a chain to the one person in the world who could potentially end it all for him, forcing him to work alongside the enemy he couldn’t help but see as his one true equal. _That_ was infuriating; but also so compelling.

 

L had nearly given up during Light’s memoryless time, and what a shame that would have been, what a sad waste. As he stumbled behind L towards their side-by-side desks, he nearly burst into laughter at the thought that _he’d_ been the one to encourage L to keep going, to not give in to lethargy. But Light was the only one privy to that particular joke so he held it in, trying not to look too smug as the task force members gathered around them offering congratulations. His father slung an arm around him, a look of clear relief on his face.

 

Aizawa rushed up to pump Light’s free hand, his brow still dabbed with sweat from the SWAT helmets they’d all worn to protect their face from the fake, inferior, and happily now-dead Kira. “So glad you’re finally in the clear and you can get back to your regular life.” He pointedly glared at L, shaking his head in disgust at what someone so _obviously_ innocent had suffered.

 

Matsuda beamed as he pat Light on the back, “I guess it was Higuchi all along, but really, I always knew you were innocent, Light!”

 

Light gave them both an indulgent smile, thinking _fools, of course you did_. But he was hugely grateful for their warm words now. “You have no idea how much that means to me.” _You really don’t_. “And you’re right, Aizawa-san, getting back some semblance of normalcy is exactly what I hope for now, but the much bigger issue here is that we finally caught Kira.” He turned to look at L, giving him a friendly-looking smile, but there was a hint of smugness beneath it too. His eyes glistened with the happiness and triumph he felt, and hoped that L would think it was just the high of the case. _Ha, no. Wonder if he knows better?_

 

On the surface, L was trying to maintain a cool facade as he plodded into the room with Light in tow, but it was difficult to maintain when he had difficulties regulating his moods at the _best_ of times. _And everyone knows I tend to just feel what I feel regardless of whether or not I SHOULD._ Every word that was spoken to Light just made him scowl harder, shoulders hunching as he turned around to look at the teen, studying him carefully. _Innocent? No, I don’t think so. Light Yagami may have been innocent once upon a time, but he has the look of one who was seen too much, again_. His tone was bland, but undercut with a subtle emphasis as he said softly, “Yes… We certainly achieved a _great_ victory tonight, didn’t we?” _But what victory was that, really? Victory over defeating a third Kira? Finding out how Kira kills? Or having the real Kira finally back in my orbit, almost in my grasp?_ L very nearly called for Watari to bring in the death note, but everyone was looking to him to make a move. _And the rub is that I really have no legitimate reason to keep him confined._

 

Holding his cuffed wrist out to the detective, Light tilted his head slightly, “I guess these can come off now, can’t they?” The whole team watched for L’s response.

 

Sighing, L looked away, rubbing his fingertips lightly against the fabric of his jeans, the tactile sensation doing much to calm his agitation for the time being. “I suppose, in light of Higuchi’s arrest and subsequent… dispatchment, I have no other recourse but to release you from my custody.” The thought of letting Light go when he looked into the teen’s eyes to see Kira’s smug expression staring back at him, only thinly veiled by that perfect, smiling facade… it was galling. _How am I the only one who can see right through you?_

 

Light’s gaze followed L’s motions intently, eating up all the frustration in the man’s body language, a language he’d learned so well during their confinement together. That was a handy thing, being able to remember every little observation during his neutered months and making use of them now when he was whole again. The way L touched his jeans, needing that sensation to ground himself in intense nervousness. The way he folded in on himself protectively, knowing he had no allies here against the halo above Light’s head. It was thrilling actually, to see his real self mirrored in L’s eyes and not even have to deny it, to have others do it for him. _Good. I want you to know. And to know you can’t do anything about it._

 

L hesitated a moment, and then turned back to his desk, opening a drawer and pulling out a key from the interior. “Does Light-kun wish to... remain in the same living quarters?” He supposed it was too much to hope that Light _would_ want to stay with him, even despite the frisson of tension he could feel building around them like so much electricity in the air before a storm.

 

Light’s smile widened only slightly when L reached for the key, but inside he was screaming ‘ _yes!’_ L was backed into a corner and had no recourse but to let him go, despite the strong reservations written all over his pale face. The question of whether he was still going to share a room with the detective took him off guard, making his smile falter. Mainly because it only now occurred to him that he actually _did_ want to stay close to L, while during his memoryless state he’d loathed being tied to the detective. So on the one hand, he needed to be free of the cuffs to prove to the team that he was innocent-- and to more easily enact his plans. But on the other hand---and this wasn’t easy for Light to realize--there was something intensely drawing him to the detective that renewed itself when he remembered who he was. _No, I can’t be attracted to HIM. We’re enemies._

 

And yet, words flowed from Light’s mouth that his brain couldn’t stop, “I suppose it would be a testament to your _faith_ in my innocence if we continued to share a room now that I had my freedom, at least for a little while.” After all, they would be in close quarters but Light would have zero restrictions, other than perhaps surveillance by Watari. He wondered if that was the case, or would be since L still suspected him. “Plus, it’s so late now, there’s probably not enough time to move all my things tonight, is there? I’m content to share a bit longer, as long as you feel _safe_ doing so?” He eyes danced with the laughter he was holding back. Did L know that seduction could be just as dangerous a weapon as his pen?

 

There was a moment when L thought that maybe Light _would_ insist on separate rooms, and he was already steeling himself for the irrational wave of disappointment as he stepped to Light’s side, fingertips barely grazing the teen’s wrist as he slid the key into the cuff. _No, STOP it. You already know it can’t happen, so why are you constantly poking and prodding and HOPING?_ Before he could turn the key in the lock, he found himself blinking in surprise. Light… wasn’t saying _no_. L flicked his gaze up questioningly to Light’s face as he searched for the trap. _What? WHY?_ After all, this was _Kira_. Kira _always_ had a reason for everything he did, probably multiple reasons.

 

“Well… it _is_ late,” L said quietly, frowning at the flippant ‘ _later_ ’ implied by Light’s words, at the implication that he should feel unsafe. _Why are you trying to RAISE my suspicions?_ “I suppose that’s logical.” He turned the cuff key, the small frown tugging at his lips as the metal dropped into his hand, and he pulled his fingers reluctantly back from Light’s skin with a sigh, turning to unlock the cuff from around his own wrist and dropping them into his desk drawer. He rubbed his wrist absently as he considered his options, idly noting that the undercurrent of tension that had been palpable in the room was lessening considerably as, one by one, the other men all congratulated Light on his ‘newfound freedom’ and moved to crowd around Higuchi’s shinigami with all sorts of questions. _Rem_. He should be questioning her as well, but right now, his thoughts were centered around one infuriatingly enigmatic teen. _You’re ‘content to share’ with me after two months of wanting nothing to do with me. Perhaps this is a test._

 

L turned back to stare hard at Light for a long moment, finally breaking the silence as he answered the laughter in the teen’s eyes more than his words, voice soft and knowing, “Light-kun. You have your freedom now.”

 

Light rubbed his wrist as the cold metal finally fell away, leaving a ring of red, raw skin around his wrist, a testament to how much he’d been yanked around by L. He gave L a smile as he soothed the sensitive skin, thinking _well that’s all over now._ “Thank you. I’m sure you’ll be happy to have your freedom back as well.” It was interesting how easily the detective agreed to continue sharing a room. _Perhaps he thinks he can still keep a closer eye on me like that._ Light had ulterior motives that he might very well abandon if the first night didn’t go well; he’d have to be very careful that his flirtations didn’t put him in a more precarious position than he already was in.

 

 _What freedom?_ The thought was fleeting, but L pushed it aside with a slight shake of his head, eyes still trained steadily on Light’s. The teen’s words sounded considerate on the surface, but he couldn’t help but wonder when Light would make his play, whatever it ended up being. “You may stay here if you wish, question Higuchi’s shinigami with the others.”

 

Light watched the detective erase the scowl that had been plastered on his face since they’d walked in here, softening to something Light wasn’t sure how to decipher. Not quite taunting but not genuine either. He glanced at Rem’s hulking form across the room when the invitation to stay and interrogate her was presented. “Yes, it _would_ be fascinating to speak with a god of death.” Little did L know there was literally nothing of use for Rem to tell him that he hadn’t heard already. He’d have to make a good show of feigning ignorance, and it did make him a little anxious to have the team peppering her with questions. However, the shinigami already knew exactly what answers to give and which to ignore. He recalled going over it all in explicit detail before he enacted his plan to lose his memories, and in her own words ‘shinigami never forget.’

 

L’s eyes narrowed slightly at Light’s back when the teen turned to look over at Rem, hearing the taunt hidden underneath the words. _Yes, I’m sure you must have had a LOT to discuss with her before now, didn’t you, KIRA? I won’t be able to trust a word she says, will I? Is she the shinigami that ‘loves apples’?_ It was something to think about. Perhaps he would have Watari put out a basket of apples in the morning to tempt her. (If nothing else, the man would welcome the chance to get L to eat something _other_ than sweets.) He sighed, looking down sullenly.

 

It hadn’t been lost on him how closely Light was watching him, taking in every little reaction, and truth be told, he was still feeling a little lost at sea. _Maybe a little time away from him will reorient me. Help me process everything, especially what to do about Kira’s return._ “Yes, well… I will take this opportunity to get a little rest, now we’ve made such a _breakthrough_. I will return shortly.”

 

L’s lips quirked up slightly at Light as he turned away, wondering if Light would catch the subtle manipulation. _Of course he will. We’ve been together every second of every day for over two months, he’ll wonder why I’m suddenly keen on going up to the room alone when previously I haven’t been willing to let him out of my sight ONCE. But will he take the bait anyway?_ As L made his way towards the elevator, he wasn’t sure whether he hoped Light would follow him or not. Either way, he would count it as a win.

 

Light was _much_ more interested in following L presently, and perhaps catch him in a vulnerable moment where he was still confused as to what was happening. He covered his mouth as if to stifle a realistic-looking yawn. “It’s been an extremely long day for me, Ryuzaki. I think I’ll go to bed as well and speak with the shinigami in the morning with a clearer head.” _Pfft, my mind’s as clear as a bell, but it’s focused on something more human than Rem._ He followed L to the elevator, calling ‘goodnights’ over his shoulder as they waited for it to arrive. Looking at the detective beside him, he spoke softer, just to L, “I hope you don’t mind.”

 

A current of satisfaction passed through L when Light took the bait, even as his shoulders hunched slightly in irritation at hearing the teen further ingratiating himself to the others. _That smiling, perfect angel facade is going to break on you one day, Light. They’ll see the truth, and you won’t be able to do anything to stop it. I hope I’m around to see it._ He gave Light a sidelong look as the teen stepped up beside him, and even with those dark thoughts, meeting Light’s eyes and hearing that soft statement _just for him_ still sent a fluttery, warm feeling coursing through him, to the point where he had to shove his hands hastily in his pockets to hide how they shook. It brought to mind any number of similar incidents that he could remember from _before_ Light’s confinement. All of the casual, seemingly accidental brushes that had always left L warm and tingly, confused, usually managing to pass off any obvious physical reactions as ‘ _getting a chill_ ’, or ‘ _my coffee is too hot_ ’ when the others commented. The rare out-of-the-blue, private little smiles when Light caught him staring, leaving him weak-kneed (and usually grateful he was always sitting). The times when L would catch _Light_ staring a little too long at _him_. Incidents that were innocuous, but that L had analyzed to death, over and over again, for _any_ possible meaning other than the one that he was forced to admit to himself that he _wanted_ it to be. _That Light Yagami, that KIRA, might be attracted to me. It doesn’t matter, anyway._

 

 _L’s staring at me again._ But unlike the glares and pouts that had been directed at him of late, this seemed more like the times Light would catch L when they were working quietly, or even sitting in class and supposedly listening to the lecture. Most of the time Light would ignore it, but sometimes, like now, he’d give L a little smile before looking away politely. _Look all you like._ It was encouraging for his plan though, because Light had been worried at the very real possibility that L wasn’t attracted to him anymore after how long the case and his suspicions had dragged on. There was never a good time to act on the attraction Light had noticed prior to his confinement, and he giggled internally remembering that he’d actively _not liked_ L when he’d forgotten their game. When he’d touched the notebook again, it hadn’t _just_ been his Kira memories that had rushed in again.

 

That little smile on Light’s face was too knowing for comfort, and L tore his gaze away when the elevator arrived, a little angry at himself over being caught staring, over his inability to stop himself from blushing. “No, I… of course I don’t mind,” he said quietly, stepping inside and willing the embarrassing bodily function to _desist_. Even just thinking about those flirtatious incidents brought all those not-very-well-buried feelings to the forefront, and that was something he _absolutely did not_ need right this second. Not when he was about to be truly alone with Light-- no, with _Kira_ \-- for… probably the first time ever, he realized, eyes widening as he looked down at the floor, hyper-aware of Light’s warm presence beside him. They had always been surrounded by other people, at University, and then at the task force headquarters, even if they were stuck in their little bubble of lies and subtle jabs and innuendo. And while he had been alone with _Light_ any number of times, it wasn’t the same. Light hadn’t played his game the same way the last two months.

 

The blush on L’s cheeks and the way the detective’s shaky hands were hurriedly jammed into his jeans pockets betrayed his otherwise aloof words and demeanor. _Yes!_ It felt like he was making some headway, little by little, to turning L’s attention towards their old unspoken attraction, now revived and a potential shield for him. If Light could confuse L’s feelings towards him, it might distract L from certain things---like the fake death note rules. And even if it didn’t, Light had a dozen more angles of attack. _Maybe it could be fun just to see if I COULD get him to sleep with me._ The idea of indulging in such an obvious and unethical conflict of interest excited him quite a bit, and he gave L one more flirty glance.

 

 _Maybe… this isn’t a win for me, after all,_ L thought to himself, lifting his wide eyes to Light again, considering.

 

When Light stepped inside the elevator, L was just standing there as the door closed, staring down at the ground and then up at him blankly. _He’s a million miles away._ Light chuckled under his breath and reached over to press the button for their floor, not-so-accidentally brushing against the detective’s hip in the process. As he leaned back his voice was honey in L’s ear, “Good thing I’m here to press the button or you’d have been stuck in here all night.” The elevator began to slowly ascend, and Light leaned back against the wall with an amused expression on his face.

 

It took all of L’s willpower not to shiver at that casual touch, and he could feel the telltale warmth in his cheeks that said he was blushing even _harder_ than before as a pleasant tingling sensation began to spread through him. Light was being much more forward than he had ever been before, and it felt _good,_ even as L knew that he couldn’t outwardly react. That resolve was easier said than done as Light spoke right in his ear, that voice going _right_ through him, and he slumped against the wall to try and disguise how his knees weakened, shooting an unamused look at the teen. _I wouldn’t be so DISTRACTED as to not press the button if you weren’t here,_ he thought to himself, letting himself huff out a breath of annoyance.

 

“I doubt that, Light-kun,” he finally said after he thought he had gotten a handle on his immediate reaction, grateful that his voice didn’t show any signs of his internal hormonal struggle. Well... he thought he could detect a _slight_ lowered pitch to his voice, but it wasn’t significant enough that Light would notice, surely. Still, he couldn’t help but give Light a tiny, sincere smile before adding, “But you can believe that if you wish. I don’t mind. I suppose I _am_ a bit distracted by other things at the moment.”

 

It looked like Light was going to respond to that, but the elevator chose that moment to make a strange grinding noise, coming to a halting stop. It was fortunate that L was already leaning against the wall, or he might have staggered right into Light. Frowning, he stared up at the numbers on the display. They weren’t quite to their floor yet, and were definitely far enough up from the monitor room that the others wouldn’t notice anything amiss until they tried to use the elevator, themselves. “What the _hell_?” He pressed the button to open the doors, but nothing happened, and he found himself pouting in irritation. This had happened a few times before, once to Mogi, and most notably to Matsuda and Misa (and _she_ had been pissed about being stuck with the rookie for the two hours it had taken to get the elevator fixed), but L had thought that the issue had been _resolved._ Clearly, it hadn’t. L pulled out his phone to get a hold of Watari, but inwardly cursed himself when he was reminded of the fact that his cell phone _never_ worked in the elevators. _No cell service. God DAMN it._

 

“Light… I think you jinxed it.”


	2. Catastrophe

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Light and L discover the reason for the elevator’s breakdown. L is wary when Light proposes a game to pass the time, but ultimately agrees.

Light grabbed the rail against the wall when the elevator abruptly lurched and ground to a standstill, the amusement previously on his face vanishing. “Oh no…” He watched L fiddle with the ‘door open’ button and then his phone with growing annoyance at the situation, because this was going to ruin everything! He’d been planning to keep feeding L little innuendos and flirtations until something finally _happened_ in the privacy of their room, but no way was the detective going to be in anything by a hypervigilant mood after _this_ fiasco. He cursed under his breath as he pushed up from the wall, frowning as the lights on the button panel flickered and went out.

 

 _Oh crap._ L’s face paled as the button panel went dark. There went their chance to get help, and he had wasted time by quipping at Light. Aizawa had been the one to inform him that _nothing_ worked once the electronics fritzed out, but that had worked out fine, because the problem had been discovered quite quickly that time. _If no-one tries to use the elevator for the rest of the evening, we’re screwed._

 

“I don’t believe in jinxes.” Sighing, Light mashed the red ‘Emergency Call’ button, which was supposed to connect them via the intercom to Watari. However, nothing happened, not even static emitted from the speaker.

 

“ _Fuck_ ,” L whispered emphatically, watching without hope as Light had no luck.

 

Light banged it once more out of spite before grumbling, “What I _do_ believe in is shoddy repairmen who were supposed to have fixed this issue four times already.” Everything in this tower of opulence was the best that money could buy, so it was doubly irritating that this kept happening. _Maybe now that it finally happened to L, Watari will replace the whole elevator like he should have the first time, the cheapskate._

 

They were well and truly stuck. And Light’s comments weren’t making L feel any better about it, because it only reminded him of a terse, whispered phone conversation he had had with Watari about the problem while Light had been asleep. _Watari told me after the LAST time that it was fixed. Did he LIE to me?_

 

Light gave his phone a perfunctory glance, but there was no reception given they were in a metal elevator inside a concrete shaft. “I guess we have no choice but to wait until someone notices that the elevator isn’t running...or that we don’t come down for work in the morning. Ugh.” He rolled his eyes at the uncomfortable prospect of actually being stuck in here all night with a grumpy, hungry L. What was worse was that if L hadn’t been here, he could call for Rem and she could easily phase in and out to either fix the problem or ‘casually mention’ to the others he was stuck. But no, he had to just grit his teeth and wait for non-paranormal help.

 

Sighing, L slid down to sit against the wall, kicking out of his shoes and pulling his knees in close to his body so he could drape himself over them. It didn’t escape his notice that Light seemed a little more annoyed than the situation really called for, but he refrained from asking why that was. _Probably just ruined whatever his plan was, so maybe I should be grateful for that._

 

Looking to L, Light asked hopefully, “You don’t happen to know how to fix an elevator, do you?” It was already starting to get a little hotter in here without the ceiling fan blowing cold air inside.

 

L snorted and looked up at the teen with an unhappy expression on his face before wiggling his fingers at him. “Do these look like the hands of someone who knows how to fix an elevator?” he asked softly. He knew what the answer _should_ be, considering his hands didn’t exactly have any of the hallmarks of someone who used them regularly for _that_ kind of labor, uncalloused as they were. The electronics he worked on tended to be much smaller, and he generally did a lot of detail work. Something like this… was a much more _extensive_ undertaking than he was used to.

 

Light’s face was crestfallen but he supposed it was too much to hope for that L knew anything about elevators. “Figured it was worth a shot to ask, if you can fly a helicopter on intuition.”

 

L was genuinely apologetic when he said, “I’m sorry, Light. This isn’t my area of expertise. We’re going to have to hope someone discovers the problem sooner rather than later.” Patting the floor beside him, he added, “Might as well just get comfortable.” _And don’t exert yourself too much, it’s already getting warm, and you’re not helping that._ Closing his eyes, L sighed again, resting his chin on his knees.

 

Light smiled lamely at the suggestion that he sit down for the long wait ahead but L was right, there was no use pacing around in here and making it worse. He sat down gracefully between L and the control panel, giving it a dirty look. Part of it appeared to be accessible with a cabinet door which he opened. “Maybe I’ll just take a little look. I’m pretty good at fixing...ahhhh oh my GOD.” Light gaped at the tangled mess of wires inside the cabinet, many of which were thumbtacked together or had frayed ends fixed with duct tape. “Holy _fuck_ Ryuzaki! Who worked on this?!”

 

Light’s little outburst made L sit up straighter, and he caught a fleeting glimpse of a tangle of wires before Light shut the panel in a hurry. _What the hell?!_

 

Just looking at the electrical chaos had made Light’s heart rate spike and there must have been a dozen code violations lurking in there. He caught L’s eyes and said seriously, “I think you need to get your money back, whoever it was.” He slumped back against the wall, running his hand through his hair anxiously. This wasn’t going to be an easy fix and _he_ certainly couldn’t do it under the circumstances. He looked up at the ceiling, yanking at the tie in his shirt’s buttoned-up collar, which felt much too hot and tight in this enclosed space. His fingers fiddled in the knot of his tie until it loosened and he was able to pull it away.

 

“I wish the fan had at least stayed on. It’s so hot in here. I’d climb up there and check it out but somehow I know it will be as bad as that.” He motioned with his thumb to the cabinet of doom. “Better not risk it.” He idly popped the first few buttons on his shirt, opening it about halfway down his chest. _Shit, how much longer until I’ll just have to take my shirt off to avoid overheating?_

 

L’s eyes were wide as he stared at Light, eyes following the teen as he slumped back down at his side, clearly more preoccupied with undoing his shirt in the warm car than whatever L was doing. And L was… _quite_ okay with that, because he was having a hard time focusing on anything other than that rapidly widening expanse of skin he could see, breath catching in his throat. _Yes… too bad the fan went off, too,_ he thought to himself, acutely aware of his racing heartbeat as he brought his thumb up to his mouth, biting the nail as he greedily took in the display beside him.

 

Blushing, Light’s voice was tinged with embarrassment as he noticed L’s gaze, mistaking it for disapproval. “I...apologize for the lack of decorum. But this dress shirt isn’t helping things.” Light hadn’t wanted L to see him all rumpled and sweaty, he’d wanted to maintain his perfect appearance for his grand seduction that night. He hadn’t started to sweat yet but it was just going to be a matter of time. That thought just made him more sullen. _Just great. The first time L sees me in any state of undress will be as a sticky flushed mess._ They’d always changed clothes behind a partition during brief periods when the handcuffs had come off, and the opaque shower door had a space for the chain to pass through. It had been a (very) small blessing of dignity and privacy. _Glad he never asked why some of my showers were longer than others._

 

With great difficulty, L tore his gaze away from Light’s chest and looked up with a genuinely confused expression on his face. “Why… would I care about a lack of decorum?” he asked, snorting at the apology. He looked down pointedly at his own clothes and shook his head. _He_ certainly didn’t give a damn about giving a good impression, even when it meant that people didn’t like him much, and while he _supposed_ making friends with people might mean they’d be more willing to do good work for him, it wasn’t like it had ever really been something that stopped him from producing results. And Light’s ‘lack of decorum’ was… _extremely_ appealing. Swallowing hard, L let his gaze drift downwards again to stare at Light’s chest before he looked away, blushing.

 

Light chuckled, feeling a little silly for thinking that L would care about decorum. It was just that the detective had taken such pains to make sure they were always clothed around each other during their time chained together, but in retrospect, L was probably maintaining professionalism. _Now_ seemed to be a different story-- or maybe the real reason-- L was shamelessly staring right at the exposed patch of his chest. He bit his lip to keep from giggling, looking away so it wouldn’t seem like he’d noticed being blatantly checked out. Light started getting a tad hopeful again that perhaps all was not lost for his original plan. Rather than getting disgusted or annoyed at Light’s state, the detective only seemed _more_ interested. _Hmm._

 

This wouldn’t do. L stood up abruptly, stepping over to open the cabinet in an attempt to distract himself from Light, and his mouth dropped open in shock. “Oh for the love of-” Cutting himself off with a low growl, L pulled his phone back out of his pocket and snapped a couple pictures of the mess before turning the screen off.

 

Light looked up when L growled in irritation, finally able to let out the giggle he’d been holding in. “I warned you. Bad juju in there.”

 

“Rest assured, Watari will be getting a piece of my mind regarding _that_ botch job.” _Who did he hire, fucking Freddy Kreuger?!_ L closed the panel back up and took a deep breath to try and calm himself, hands clenched into fists at his side for a moment before forcing himself to relax them. He took another deep breath before turning around and plopping down onto the floor again, fingers pinching at the bridge of his nose as he sighed out, settling back against the wall.

 

Light hoped he’d be around when L gave Watari that promised talking-to, he could already see the older man’s mustache twitching now. Not that Watari didn’t deserve it, cheaping out of fixing the elevator seemed incongruous with his usual efficiency. It made Light wonder if there was a passive-aggressive reason for taking the shortcut. “Seems odd that after all the money it took to _build_ this skyscraper, Watari would hire a hack to fix the elevators.” He shrugged at the observation, but Watari’s bad decision had very real consequences for them now. He watched L sit back down across from him, which Light couldn’t have planned _better_ given the birds-eye view that the detective now had of him.

 

When L opened his eyes again, he silently cursed himself for not returning to where he had been sitting before, because now he could see _every_ inch of skin that was exposed, noticing that Light’s hair was beginning to wilt under the heat… and his mouth went dry. _Oh shit. He looks really hot like this._ And he couldn’t remember what Light had _just_ said to him. _SHIT._ So much for distracting himself, he’d only made his fixation _worse_. Bringing his thumb up to his mouth, L bit at his nail as he averted his gaze, acutely aware of how flushed he was becoming. This was _bad_.

 

Light could tell that L was _trying_ not to stare, but the obvious attempts just betrayed his hunger even more, bringing a small smile to Light’s lips as he relaxed against the wall. _Let’s give him a bit more to look at._ “Since you don’t seem bothered by my lack of decorum…” _Or only bothered in a way I want you to be..._ He held L’s gaze as he lazily unbuttoned the rest of his shirt, taking his time with each one and then untucking the shirttails from his pants. His shirt fell wide open now, exposing skin from his neck to lower stomach, and he let his legs slide down flat so he wasn’t hiding a thing from L’s eyes. His chest was hairless except for a small trail down from his belly button disappearing beneath his pants. Purportedly, he probably looked a lot more comfortable now, and it certainly felt cooler. But any cooling effects were mostly counteracted by the electricity in the air between them, making a faint flush appear on his cheeks. He wondered if L was feeling it too, or if the detective was too stodgy to take his shirt off even if the heat became more intense.

 

L looked back at Light immediately when he made that teasing remark about _decorum_ , frowning slightly at the teen only to freeze. Because Light was giving him a look that said _he knew_ , and of _course_ he knew. Of _course_ he was going to use L’s attraction to him to put him off balance, and what better time than now, when they had nothing to do, and no way of getting out of here for who knew how long? L glanced up at the camera in the corner of the elevator, but he didn’t see the telltale little light in the corner, which meant that it wasn’t recording. Light could do absolutely _anything_ to him in here, and no-one would ever know but the two of them.

 

He could feel his pulse racing through his body at that thought as he looked back down at Light with wide eyes, unable to look away from that utterly _hypnotizing_ display. Each button that popped open pulled a sharp breath from him, made the fingers of one hand twitch on his knees, and his gaze kept flickering between Light’s face and trailing down his body as he worried at his lips with his thumb, the sensation of pressure sending tiny little shockwaves of pleasure through him. _God, he is gorgeous._ Lifting his gaze back to Light’s, L gave him a helplessly lost look, swallowing hard. _I want him._

 

Light sighed, glancing around with a bored look on his face. “What shall we do to pass the time?”

 

L shrugged slightly, pulling his thumb away from his mouth to drop to his knee, rubbing both hands against his shins now in an effort to give his body another physical sensation to focus on. The way Light looked around, playacting at being bored, didn’t fool him one bit, but he latched onto it, grateful for something to focus on, even as his hormones were clamoring to be let out. “Did you have any ideas?” he asked, voice annoyingly breathless and _obvious_.

 

“Ideas? Oh, I have a few.” The loaded emotion was dripping from Light’s words. He looked back to L with a smirk, “But don’t tell me you’re going to use this opportunity to interrogate me some more in my _compromised_ state.” He tilted his head, letting his lips part in a slight pant.

 

 _Compromised my ass, YOU are NOT the one who’s compromised here, Kira._ “ _You_ seem to be the one doing the interrogating right now, Light,” L pointed out softly, glancing up at the teen through his hair, gaze finally settling on Light’s parted lips. He was so fucked. He knew that if Light made a move now, he would willingly go along with whatever the teen wanted.

 

L’s rapid unraveling was so delicious to Light, and there was no question left in his mind now that the detective wanted him and _badly_.  If he’d felt so inclined, Light felt reasonably confident that L would have let him get away with just about anything. But where was the fun in rushing towards the finish line when playing a little longer could make the victory so much sweeter? No, Light was enjoying teasing L, and the attention that garnered, _far_ too much to go in for the kill just yet.

 

It wasn’t _working_. L was beginning to feel overheated, and he didn’t know what to do with himself. If he were alone, it would have been a different matter entirely and he would have gladly found a way to relieve the tension in whatever way felt best, but acting on his feelings and indulging _with another person_ (with _Kira?_ ) would be… no-one would even know, maybe, but _Kira_ would definitely use it to his advantage. _And I’m finding myself caring less and less about that._

 

Light stretched his back slightly against the hard wall, wishing that the surroundings for a game were slightly more comfortable. Licking his lips, he said, “What about Truth or Dare? You always accuse me of lying so this one might be particularly fun.” Undoubtedly, L would do the predictably boring thing and ask him if he was Kira, and he’d do the expected thing and _lie_. But maybe once those old chestnuts were pushed aside---or recognized to never be answered truthfully-- they might delve into something interesting (and not particularly lethal to either of them). As for the dares? Those were easy to think up, and it would be fascinating to see what L might do. _Or what I might do._

 

Blinking, L stared at Light, lips parted in surprise. _He could have taken advantage and asked me for anything, and he wants to play a party game?_ “Truth or… Dare?” He considered the suggestion, almost wanting to reject it out of hand, but there was really no reason to do so. By his own logic, it was something to do, and it would keep them occupied for as long as they were stuck in here, and it was less dangerous than potentially being found in some kind of compromising position would be. _Well, at least until the dares come in. Who knows what he’ll try to get me to do._ Finally, L let a tiny smile spread across his lips, looking down and relaxing a bit. Maybe it would even be fun. _You know he’s still going to lie when you ask if he’s Kira, though._

 

“Well, what do you think?” Light brushed the hair from his face, it was starting to get sticky with the growing humidity of the room. “Want to _play_?”

 

L looked back up, letting his gaze trail up Light’s body for a long moment before finally focusing on his face. _Do I hope he’ll take advantage of the game at some point?_ The tone Light used certainly suggested that he was _planning_ on heating things up sooner or later, and he couldn’t hold back a pleasant shiver as he nodded, murmuring, “Yeah, sure, I’ll _play_.”


	3. Limbo

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> L and Light’s game of Truth or Dare quickly gets real, but can two consummate liars really tell the truth?

Sitting up straight, L stretched his legs out in front of him and rolled his neck to crack it before settling back down again. “Since you suggested it, shall I ask first, or would you like to?”

 

Light grinned wide at L’s acquiescence to the game, and figured they might as well get the lying out of the way. Or maybe he could just skip that altogether? He held up a hand, closing his eyes with a very put-out expression on his face, “Before you get any _bright ideas_ about treating this as part of your investigation, for the millionth time, _no_ , I’m not Kira.” He sighed and looked at L again, smiling now that _that_ was done. His hand trailed idly down his neck as he gazed across the elevator at the detective, “Anyway, feel free to go first.”

 

That grin on Light’s face pulled an answering smile to L’s lips, and the subsequent comment made him actually laugh out loud, reaching up to sheepishly scratch at the back of his neck. “Would have been worth a shot,” he said, shrugging. He folded his hands over his stomach, trying to ignore the feeling of sweat beginning to form on his forehead as he asked, “Sooo… truth or dare, then.”

 

Light gave him a seductive look, considering between the options. He had plenty of dares in mind, but it would be more strategic to start off slow. “Truth.”

 

L’s smile spread slowly into a grin at that, and he couldn’t help but let out a soft sigh of relief. A quick glance around the elevator car confirmed that _he_ , at least, would have been hard-pressed to come up with a dare that was both benign enough for his current level of comfort _and_ something Light might _actually_ do. _Thank you for giving me the easy start,_ he thought, worrying at his bottom lip with his teeth as he considered. The only problem with ‘ _truth_ ’ was that he had too _many_ options. Something like, ‘ _why are you doing this?_ ’ was too blunt and would have been a mood killer, even if he _was_ intensely curious to know the answer. Something like, ‘ _what’s your favorite song/band/movie?_ ’ was too _boring_ and sounded more like vapid getting-to-know-surface-you date material, even if he _was_ interested to know _that_ as well. He didn’t want to ask anything about Misa or Light’s previous _experience_ , because he wasn’t sure he actually _wanted_ to know how many people, if any, the teen had seduced (though this _was_ making him wonder what had caused the significant differences between Light’s personality pre-confinement and his personality while they had been chained together).

 

 _I could just ask if he actually likes me in any capacity,_ L thought to himself, slowly pulling one knee up to his chest again and wrapping his arms loosely around it. But even _that_ was a loaded question that he wasn’t sure he wanted to know the answer to. He absently rubbed at his wrist, frowning down at the circle of red skin and without thinking, he asked softly, “Are you… going to miss them?”

 

 _Them?_ Light gave L a briefly puzzled look, but he understood as his gaze followed L’s to the man’s calloused wrist.

 

A glance up at Light was illuminating, and L pressed on, clarifying, “The cuffs. Now that they’re gone, are you going to miss them at all?” _Are you going to miss being chained to me now that you’re playing our game again?_ L looked down slightly, lips twisting as he subtracted the unnecessary words in his mind, wondering if Light would hear the unspoken true meaning of his words. _Are you going to miss ME?_

 

Light’s first instinct was to scoff at the question, because how long had he been supremely annoyed by _them_? But shuffling through those feelings of irritation and inconvenience were like browsing the photo album of another person, one divorced from the mission and drive needed not only to endure the invasion but turn it to some advantage. He nearly felt sorry for his ignorant self. But those perceptions collected in so-called innocence served him now in full knowledge, even if they hadn’t been collected for the purpose he now set them to use.

 

He gave L a considered look, “Will I miss you yanking me around at every opportunity, just because you could? All the times you woke me up in the night when you wanted some snack or to keep on working? Having to know where you were at all times so I didn’t move too fast, twist us up, spill your coffee, ruin your typing, spoil your mood?” He snorted, looking away as he sucked in his lip for a moment. “No, I won’t miss any of that.”

 

L watched Light from behind his hair as the teen considered his response, bringing his thumb back up to his mouth to nibble nervously at the nail. It was nerve-wracking, and when Light finally started to speak, utterly disheartening. _Well… I KNEW you wouldn’t miss that,_ L thought to himself, trying to refrain from sighing as he closed his eyes tiredly. What had he really expected?

 

Light was a little confused by L’s seeming disappointment at his answer, because hadn’t the detective purposefully made their time together as uncomfortable as possible as part of his never-ending quest for the “truth”? _You named me a liar, but are you so very truthful with me? We both lie, to protect ourselves, and I can’t blame you for it._ It wasn’t as if Light could denigrate L for doing his _job_ , but that still put him in Kira’s crosshairs. He peered at L from across the elevator, wondering which was worse--- torturing someone who thought themselves innocent or feeling sorry that an actual murderer hadn’t enjoyed their time chained together? The parallelism amused him, but he knew that wasn’t what L was really asking. The inconvenience had been so obvious as to be banal; of course no sane person would miss _that_. No, what L was really asking was whether Light would miss their closeness, the time they’d spent together, the erstwhile friendship that manifested as fistfights and harsh words more often than tender, friendly moments. He looked up at L with honest eyes, “I’ll miss about 20% of it. There were rare days when you were in a _good_ mood, and didn’t hurl accusations at me, didn’t try to interrogate me. Days you seemed to enjoy me, and I wasn’t just an albatross around your neck.” There weren’t many such days as Light recalled, but even though he hadn’t seen the sun in months by now, he’d felt its rays _then_ , inside and to himself. “I’ll miss those days.”

 

Hearing Light come back with a percentage, a deliberate mirror of his own constant taunts to the teen, brought a tiny smile back to L’s lips as he raised his head to meet Light’s gaze head-on, clutching at his shin as he listened. _It wasn’t all for nothing, then. I’ll miss those days, too._ He remembered days that hadn’t seemed so gray, the days when Light had seemed at his happiest. “I… could never be sure whether your good moods were influenced by _me_ being happier on any given day, or if it was the other way around,” he said softly, biting at his lip as he looked back down. _Will he see that admission for what it is? That he made me happy?_ “But… there are days I’ll remember fondly as well.” He hesitated a moment, gaze lingering on his wrist before holding it up, letting his sleeve fall back to display the red calloused mark that he knew would eventually scar. “And I’ll always have this scar on my wrist to remind me of that.” _Of you._ The unspoken words hung in the air between them as he looked back at Light meaningfully, throat tight for a moment as he blinked a few times, willing the faint wetness away before he embarrassed himself.

 

Light held L’s gaze for a long moment before he shrugged off the lingering wistfulness and formed a composed smile, “Your turn. Truth or dare?”

 

L’s voice was still soft when he laid his cheek on his knee, trying and failing to banish the small, somewhat rueful smile on his mouth as he murmured, “Might as well be truth.” He didn’t particularly want to get too _daring_ yet. _I wonder what burning questions are on his mind._

 

Light turned away to consider the question to ask L.“Hmmm.” He tapped his index finger against his lips as a myriad of questions floated through his mind. “Did you mean it when you named me your first friend, or was that a lie to manipulate me and lower my defenses?” He slowly smiled at L knowingly, “Not that any of that was needed, mind you.” He carded back through the index file of a stranger’s memories to recall that conversation and how he’d felt about it. It had been an unprompted statement, something that L had said out of the blue for no real reason--- no real reason but to manipulate Light’s feelings, he imagined. That was what had stuck out in his mind about it because it was rare for L to go on the offensive so _personally._ L’s M.O. was to formulate plans, watch them unfold from a distance, observe the consequences, then deduce and close in. That time had been an exception.

 

 _Damn. Should have said dare._ L looked up at Light and leaned back against the wall in silence for a full minute, chewing on his lip as he debated what to say. He could understand why Light asked, imagined the teen would try to catch him in a lie, because they _both_ knew that at the time, it had been just that. But the real answer was so much more complicated than that now. _Would I really know what a true friend is if I’ve never had one in my life? And would anyone consider what we have friendship?_ L finally sighed, and simply said, “Yes.”

 

He leaned his head back against the wall and looked up at the ceiling, tapping his fingers together before rubbing them idly against his jeans again to try and ground himself, still the frantic racing of his heart. “At the time… I didn’t mean it. I’ve never had a friend in my life, and I knew… your personality was such that if I extended a show of friendship to you, you would take it, if only on the surface.” His gaze shifted and he focused on Light’s tie, voice a low monotone. “I suspected that, even if you were _not_ Kira, your intellect would make it so you would have a hard time truly connecting with most people on any deeper level. They couldn’t keep up with you, and you would become bored too quickly with their banal lives.” _The same issue I have with others._

 

“But over time, even if you never thought of me as anything other than the detective making your life hell… it somehow became true. Or… I wanted it to be true.” _Just like I want you to be Kira._ L shifted his gaze to finally look Light in the eyes, a wan smile on his face, because he _knew_ that his wish for even something so simple as friendship was futile for him. Because he was too stubborn, too unyielding to be able to accommodate others in his life, wasn’t he? And most people were too much of a disappointment. _Except you. And I always wanted more from YOU, Kira. But I would have been content with some sort of… friendship. How… messed up is that?_ He licked his lips, took a deep breath and forced the difficult words out, hoping that Light at least heard the truth in them, “Because while I initially thought you might accept out of a desire to truly _connect_ with someone who thought as you did… _you_ were also the only one who could ever meet _me_ halfway, who could ever understand what I was thinking, sometimes as I was thinking it. Who ever seemed to understand _me_. And because of that… I truly _wished_ we could become real friends.”

 

 _So you lied to me, and the lie became a kind of truth, much to your apparent surprise._ Light hummed thoughtfully, unsure if he felt miffed at the falsehood or gratified at the turnabout. _Both?_ “It’s a strange way to extend a show of friendship, if that’s what you really wanted from me. You didn’t need to lie.”

 

 _No, I didn’t need to… but I can’t change that now._ L sighed, shifting until he was cross-legged and looking down at his hands as they settled, twisting nervously, into his lap. “I know,” he whispered regretfully. Maybe he had been wrong in his self-assessment before. He didn’t normally _have_ regrets, but lying to Light about _that_? _That_ he regretted. _And that’s not all…_

 

L wasn’t wrong that Light had a hard time connecting with people. He’d never connected with anyone outside of his family, and even they only walked the crust of his earth, seeing no deeper than the picturesque landscapes he wanted them to. L could drill down to magma when he tried. He took a deep breath, rolling his head to stretch his neck, stiff from leaning against the rigid wall. “I suppose it depends on how you define a friend.” He met L’s eyes meaningfully, “I’ll admit, I didn’t care if you were been truthful or not, then.” _I knew you weren’t, but I didn’t know the sting of that until today._

 

L glanced up from under his damp bangs, stomach churning unpleasantly as he listened to Light’s words. _Of course he didn’t care. Because Kira knew that to play the game, he needed to lie his ass off, so why should L be any different?_

 

Light went on in a softer voice, “I feel somewhat differently about that now.” What had changed? Only _everything_ , and he hoped L didn’t ask about specifics, or even better, just _knew_ why. _Because I changed._

 

Smiling, “You _are_ the detective making my life hell, don’t try to get out of that. And I’m the….” Light laughed as he caught what he was about to say. _And I’m the one trying to take you down to my hell with me, and show you how beautiful it is._ “...suspect you can’t arrest, symbolic of the one case you can’t close.” Light looked at L a long while before admitting, “I don’t blame you for lying, but it’s not too late to make the lie true.” _Actually true, for both of us._

 

Light’s eyes softened along with his voice, and that gentle statement, along with that beautiful laugh sent a swirl of warm, fierce _hope_ spiraling through L. His eyes widened, and his fingers tightened around each other for a moment before he had to wipe them off on his jeans, his breath coming a little faster as Light just _looked_ at him. _Please. Tell me I’m not crazy for feeling this way, Light, PLEASE._ “It’s… not too late? _Really_?”

 

If Light didn’t know better he would have thought that L was actually sorry for lying to him, and that was an odd realization indeed. He’d never seen the detective second-guess himself or express regret about anything, with the one exception being L’s cake-sodden depression when he had to let Light out of confinement. But Light knew how to read people--knew how to read L especially well after being chained to the man-- and felt L’s present sincerity. It wasn’t fake this time. He smiled at L’s sudden enthusiasm, “We were probably toeing the line of ‘too late.’ Maybe it was fortuitous to get stuck in here after all.” It was certainly forcing them to talk honestly as they never had before, but Light was having trouble wrapping his head around L wanting to be friends with the person he firmly suspected to be Kira. Wasn’t that setting them both up for pain later when either L arrested him or Light had to…? He looked away sharply, breathing out those disturbing thoughts.

 

 _I’m not so sure it isn’t still too late,_ L thought to himself, dark thoughts swirling in circles at the back of his mind, trying to work themselves out to a truth he could use, even as he found himself focusing his attention on Light, even though _Light_ seemed willing to move past whatever he’d been thinking of. L had to look away after Light’s confession, letting out a slow breath and curling his toes on the smooth floor as he shrugged, asking quietly, “Truth or dare?”

 

Light reached up to wipe some sweat from his brow with the sleeve of his shirt, laughing softly at the absurdity of their situation. “Fuck it’s hot.” He let out a huff and shrugged out of his shirt completely, using it to wipe the perspiration from his body before tossing it into the corner. “You pick for me this time. Surprise me.”

 

Light’s laugh made L look up again, the beginnings of a smile freezing on parted lips as he watched Light divest himself of his shirt. “Oh damn,” he whispered under his breath, unable to pull his eyes away, and even though he knew that it was merely his body’s own reaction to the heat, the trickle of sweat that was beginning to make its way down the side of his face felt rather conspicuous. _It has nothing to do with how gorgeous he is, stop equating the two._ With the emotional questions and answers, he had managed to tune out Light’s state of undress as unimportant, but now that he knew what he knew… _Ugh, I want him even MORE now, though, fuck._

 

Light grinned in surprise when he heard L mumble under his breath. It was impossible to pretend he hadn’t heard it given they were the only two people in the silent elevator, but as he was enjoying the attention immensely, he wasn’t about to call L out for it. _For now, anyway._

 

L swallowed hard, gaze flicking up to Light’s face before trailing down the teen’s chest again, feeling the heat in his cheeks flare as he toyed with his shirt sleeves. _I don’t know if it would be much cooler to get out of this damn shirt or not._ “Uhh… it really _is_ hot in here…” He gave Light a sheepish look, hooking a finger in the collar of his shirt and tugging it away from his body to unstick it from his chest. _Am I really going to do this?_ “Okay. So I, uh… dare you to help me get this shirt off, then.” _Please don’t make fun of me,_ he silently begged. He could have done it himself, but the prospect of Light being so close to him, and maybe having his hands on him briefly and _not_ in a violent way was _very_ appealing.

 

It was all Light could do to hold in a snicker at L’s dare-- but there was something very endearing about the way L asked, like he knew how obvious he was being and said it anyway. _You can be rather adorable when you aren’t acting like a bratty grump, L._ He raised an eyebrow, “Dare I divest the greatest detective in the world of his disguise?” He smirked, crawling across the elevator on his hands and knees with a predatory look on his face. Kneeling in front of L, he gave the man a knowing look that said, _I know you don’t need help, but I’ll play along._ His fingers reached for the hem of L’s shirt, moving just barely underneath the fabric to brush against skin. Leaning close, “What if all your superpowers are contained in these simple, unassuming clothes, and there’s just a normal human man underneath?”

 

L was definitely _not_ immune to reacting predictably to Light’s flirty, predatory prowl towards him, breath catching in his throat and eyes going wide as he shifted, tensed. _No, wait,_ he wanted to say, frozen as Light reached for him, that knowing look sinking into him, that seductive whisper spreading through his veins like warm honey.

 

Flashing L a smile to let him know he wasn’t being mean in his teasing, he gripped L’s shirt and pulled it over the man’s head, his hands brushing up against L’s sides in the process. The wild tuft of black hair disappeared under fabric for an instant before fluffing out again, and Light was left holding the shirt in his hands.

 

As fingers scraped lightly against L’s skin, trailing a nearly electric fire in their wake, he stared at Light, chest heaving and a low whimper escaping him as he thought frantically, _I’m not ready for this after all._ It was over not even a moment later, Light sitting in front of him with his sweaty shirt in hand, and L just felt… _exposed._ Like somehow Light _had_ stripped away more than just a simple layer of fabric, and he wasn’t sure what to _do_ , where to put his hands, how to _act_ , simply staring at the teen, breathing heavily and feeling somehow _warmer_ than he had before. “Light…” _I’m not Superman._

 

Sitting back on his haunches, Light gave L an appraising look, and said, “Better?” They were _both_ shirtless now, which besides the obvious effects of being much cooler, suggested to Light that perhaps he should keep on going and see...what could happen. He hesitated to move back to the other side of the elevator, interested to see if L would tell him to go back. Lifting L’s shirt to the man’s face, he wiped way a trickle of sweat. It wasn’t Light’s intention to _scare_ L, and the detective did look half-afraid as he gazed up at Light from the wall. _Maybe I’m coming on too strong, but he seemed so obviously attracted to me a moment ago._ “So, truth or dare?” _Maybe I should move back to the other side._

 

L swallowed hard when Light reached forward to wipe his face, the action almost tender. _I have always just been a man, and one who is out of his depth like this._ Reaching up, L caught Light’s wrist before he could pull completely back, shivering a little at how intimate the contact felt.

 

Light looked from the pale fingers wrapped around his calloused wrist, back up to L’s face, feeling some confusion about what L wanted. _You’re giving me mixed signals here._ But what else could Light have expected given who they were to each other, and all that had happened between them? Still, he didn’t pull away, waiting for L to make a move with quiet curiosity.

 

L could see that he was confusing Light, and he lowered his gaze, not knowing how to explain himself when he was feeling the same confusion. _I’m sorry I’m such a contradiction_ , he half wanted to say, gaze coming to rest unintentionally on Light’s lips, and guiltily flitting away a moment later when he realized it. To distract himself, he whispered, “You can choose.” _I don’t know which would be safer. Maybe your intuition will be better here._

 

Light studied L’s flushed face when given the choice, settling down to sit on his knees. Softly, “Alright…” There was a question he was dying to ask, but the asking of it would be an enormous red flag to L, a tempting breadcrumb to follow a line of thought that Light may still need to hide from. _I may never get another chance if I let this moment pass._ “Ryuzaki...in the helicopter, when you touched the notebook and saw that shinigami, you _knew_ then that it was magic.” _You got your final proof that actual magic exists in the world, anathema to your logic and deductions, and something you cannot counter. Is that what frightens you about me now?_

 

A shaky, grateful smile flickered to life on L’s lips before fading away again as Light started to speak. And that statement, and all of the meaning behind it, everything in this case had lead up to that moment, when L’s decision had meant _everything_. “I knew,” L confirmed in a hush.

 

“But you let me have it anyway.” The word ‘me’ hung between them, a bubble heavy with the implied meaning but not ready to pop its secrets quite yet. Light pressed on, needing to know, “Why?”

 

L stared silently at Light as a dozen different answers swirled in his head. _I got my proof that Kira kills using magic._ He could have said that he gave Light the notebook to prove that the teen was Kira, but... that wasn’t completely true. Light’s reaction to touching the notebook had been _all_ the proof he needed, in all honesty, since none of the others had reacted so strongly to seeing a shinigami. He could have insisted that he hadn’t done it on purpose, and that Light had taken it while he’d been distracted… and while that was partially true, he could have retrieved the note, not let Light keep it. He might have claimed that he didn’t feel it was important, and _why do you ask, do you have something to tell me, Light?_ But he didn’t _need_ Light’s confession when he _knew_ , truly _knew_ without a shadow of a doubt that _Light, you ARE Kira, you can’t hide that fact from me, you never COULD_ , and of _course_ letting Light keep the damn notebook when he had _just_ seen the shinigami with his own two eyes and been outright told by Higuchi moments earlier that writing in the book was his method of killing-- letting Light keep it had been handing the murder weapon right back to the _real_ Kira. Hell, he might have been able to convince Light that he’d just wanted to see what Light would do, but that wasn’t true, _either_. “The truth is…” he breathed, voice shaky.

 

L’s fingers tightened slightly around Light’s wrist as the truth twisted inside him, making his heart pound erratically, and making him want to laugh at the absurdity of the whole thing, because he had been wrestling with this realization since that impulsive decision in the helicopter. _I am childish, and selfish._ Swallowing hard, L let out a slow breath and whispered the simple answer, “I wanted you _back._ I wanted you _whole._ ” _Because even when you didn’t completely hate me, you weren’t the same. You weren’t MY Kira._ “Because I missed the _real_ you, and I would do anything I had to if it brought you back.” Saying that sounded like something tantamount to a love confession, but his chest felt marginally lighter for having finally said it out loud. _Maybe it isn’t too late to fix the rest._

 

“Wanted me... _back?”_ Light’s eyes were wide as saucers, his lips parted in pure shock at L’s words. Was this a trap? A seemingly heartfelt confession of...well, Light wasn’t sure _what_ to call it...to lure him into saying something concretely incriminating? His breath was coming fast as he looked up to the camera in the corner of the elevator, cursing himself for not thinking about that before. The usual red blinking light wasn’t on, but that could be intentional. In fact, this _whole scenario_ could be intentional, he started to think with growing panic. _And I had to go and ask that question. Did I just damn myself or is he trying to get me to tighten to noose right now?_

 

It seemed inconceivable that L meant those words. How did he know that it would take the death note to make Light whole again? But thinking back over all the clues he’d left for L in hopes of stringing along the thrill of the grand game, one of the biggest ones must have been his change in behavior before and then during his confinement. _And changed again, now._ That must have confirmed to L one of the theories the detective had voiced before--- that he once was Kira and then wasn’t. Careful not to explicitly agree with L’s words, he whispered, “Did you want me _back_ because it would mean you weren’t wrong?” _And so you could arrest me now?_

 

That didn’t align with something else L had said-- ' _I missed the real you.'_ Hearing those words echo in his mind made his heart speed, because the passionate, driven person he’d been before his confinement, the one that had wanted to change the world, _was_ the real Light. When he had gotten his memories back, there was a moment when he’d had the opportunity to choose between those two Lights. He could have not written Higuchi’s name and let the man rot in prison as the captured ‘Kira,’ let L eventually close his case (likely out of necessity but not satisfied that it was done), and Rem would have been satisfied that Misa was safe. Without their memories or acting as Kiras anymore, Light and Misa would have been very difficult targets to ever pin down, even if the fake rules were exposed. Yes, Light could have just dropped the death note on the floor of the helicopter or passed it back to L and rejected taking on the identity of Kira again.

 

But that would have been living a lie. A pretty, hollow lie, and Light Yagami would have become exactly what everyone saw him as. Just another too-smart kid with too many advantages, floating through life bored as hell and nothing to grab his attention and shake him awake like the death note had. Not the book itself, but the path it laid out for him, all the possibilities that a too-smart someone could explore and mold the world around _him_. There was only one choice that the _real_ Light could have made.

 

L’s vision blurred and he drew in a shaky breath before whispering harshly, “Light… I’m…” He could feel his throat closing up again as the guilt came crashing back from where it had been poisoning his thoughts _for months_ , and he forced himself to breathe until it went away enough for him to choke out, “I’m _sorry_. For the- for making your father go through with that-- that charade with the gun.” _I was desperate. I knew it was a risk, and I did it anyway, and betrayed your trust._ “For making _you_ go through that.” _It was pointless._ “I wish I could take it back.” _And I understand why you hated me._ Letting go of Light’s wrist, L slumped back against the wall, head bowed and laughing bitterly to himself. _If anything was going to kill the mood and push you away, I bet that will, but I had to say it._ His lips trembled, hands twisting on themselves again in his lap as he sniffled, taking a breath to try and compose himself as he said softly, “I can’t take it back… but that’s my biggest regret.”

 

Light’s panicked expression softened as it became clear that L was in as much distress as he was, and while the detective was a fair actor, this wasn’t an act. He listened quietly, shock deepening as he heard apologies cross L’s lips, and for the one thing that Light still felt raw and rotten about. Everything else L had done he’d understood and accepted, even _appreciated_ on some level as meeting his challenges and extending their game. But what that stunt had done to his father, and to their relationship, was so bitter. More bitter because Light had not understood what L had meant to get out of it, not then, not now. _Oh wait...he just said he was willing to do ‘anything’ to bring me back. Even that?_ He moved to sit more comfortably, his legs had gone numb in his kneeling position after being frozen in shock several minutes.

 

L was not _really_ that surprised by the lack of response from Light, though he _was_ grateful that it gave him time to get his emotions somewhat back under control. As his breathing finally gained some semblance of normalcy, he felt more than heard Light shifting, and he raised his head dully, letting it fall back against the wall with a muffled thud. _I probably look like a mess. Guess it’s good I ruined everything._ Letting out a dejected sigh, he let his eyes fall half shut, not wanting to see the accusing look sure to be on Light’s face.

 

As tingling circulation returned, so did Light’s wits, and he met L’s eyes once more. Softly, “That was the one thing I never understood. I supposed you must have been desperate, but it was so _reckless_ , Ryuzaki. I never minded being…” He snorted, giving L a wry smile. _Correction._ “Well, I _understood_ being manipulated in your game like a human chess piece, but my father didn’t deserve that.” He wasn’t trying to come across as overly harsh. The past couldn’t be changed and unlike Light and L, Soichiro _had_ thought that he’d accomplished something for his pain-- securing his son’s release and helping his claims of innocence. _I’ll never let him think differently._

 

Light meeting L’s eyes surprised him, and he stilled, staring back as he listened. It seemed clear to him now that Light’s lack of response had been processing what he had said, and a sardonic, humorless little smile spread across his lips as Light correctly deduced his state of mind during that incident, thinking to himself, _you know me very well, Light._ Embarrassingly, he could feel his eyes stinging again as Light smiled at him, because why was Light _smiling_ after that admonishment? He didn’t deserve that.

 

Taking L’s hand, Light brought it close, turning it over and looking down at it thoughtfully. He smiled thinking of L’s assertion that such hands couldn’t fix an elevator, but how easily they could break a heart now. “Anyway…” He brought L’s hand to his cheek, holding it there for a moment before turning into it to press his lips there, once. “I forgive you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, we changed the chapter count and it looks like there will be five chapters (possibly six if things get too long). The writing is finished and we are just editing them, so this will be a finished fic for sure. Thank you for reading!


	4. Restoration

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just when they make their breakthrough, the elevator decides to cooperate again. Too bad someone is waiting for them outside L’s room.

L’s breath caught when Light reached out to take his hand, eyes widening and lips parting slightly. _What is- what’s he DOING? I don’t understand._ “Light…?” The shock of his fingers meeting skin pulled a soft sound from him, and L shifted closer, breathing hard and trying to figure out how to react to this as he watched Light press a soft kiss to his palm, words on his lips that L had _never_ expected to hear. _‘I forgive you._ His head was reeling. Because everyone _always_ left, eventually. _But maybe not... not HIM,_ he realized now; because when _anyone_ else would have walked away from him, and rightly so, what had Kira done? _Left breadcrumbs for me to follow, to keep my interest. Indulged me when I wanted him to come work with me. Stayed with me for months, even though he didn’t have to, even though he didn’t remember anything about our game. Put up with all of my moodiness and depression, the taunts, the accusations and bore it all with nothing but the occasional fight when I pushed him too far. And now… now he remembers EVERYTHING._ Still… L _had_ to know.

 

“You _do_?” he whispered, biting his lip as he felt a couple tears slipping down his cheeks. Letting his thumb slide over Light’s cheek in a hesitant caress, hope fluttering wildly in his chest again, the question left him before he could think about it. “ _Why_?” Because he _wanted_ that forgiveness, _so_ badly, even though he didn’t feel like he deserved it. He should have just said ‘thank you’. _Why does hearing that make me want to kiss him?_

 

 _Tears?_ If Light hadn’t been sure this wasn’t a trap before, he was sure now, and something tight unclenched in him, slowly unwound so he could breathe again. L was human after all, and had felt something tender for Light without him even knowing it--- strong enough to bend ethics to breaking to get what he wanted. _Same as me._ “Because…” He closed his eyes and nuzzled into L’s hand, thinking that if L was pretending and there _was_ a noose here, he deserved it. If L could touch him so deeply and still send him to his execution, then L had truly beaten Kira. He held L’s hand away from his cheek, turning it up and kissing the palm.  “Because we do what we must, _don’t we?_ ” Light’s gaze flicked up to L’s, his mouth traveling further up the man’s arm, leaving a trail of slow, wet kisses as he sat up.

 

 _'We do what we…_ L’s heart leapt at that, his eyes widening, mouth falling open in shock. _Yes… Kira! I wasn’t wrong._ Every slow kiss to his skin sent a shockwave of heady arousal through him, and he watched in awe as Light-- as _Kira_ \-- moved closer, _so_ close that he could _feel_ the teen’s body heat radiating off of him.

 

“Do you understand me, _L_ ? Understand what I _mean?_ ” His voice was soft and serious, dropping the pretense of L’s alias like an unneeded mask. Light leaned closer, approaching L slowly and carefully so as not to frighten him like before. Breathless as he kept pressing kisses against L’s shoulder, up to his neck, “We’ve both done _so many_ things worth regretting.” His other hand moved to cup L’s face, turn it towards him to meet his eyes, “Wouldn’t I be a hypocrite if I didn’t forgive you?”

 

A low, breathless whine, nearly inaudible, left L at hearing his name on Light’s lips, at feeling those lips pressed to his neck, his head falling back and eyes falling half shut under the onslaught of new sensory input. Even when Light turned L’s face to his, L could do nothing but stare at him through heavy-lidded eyes and reach up with his free hand to loosely grip Light’s wrist, a disbelieving smile dancing on his lips and written into his entire demeanor.

 

Light’s hand slid up into L’s hair as he brushed his lips across L’s cheek, around to dart his tongue against the man’s ear. He whispered there, “Do you forgive _my_ lies? And all the things _I_ had to do?”

 

Another low cry left L, a little louder this time, at the feeling of tongue against his ear, leaning into it as his fingers spasmed slightly around Light’s wrist. His eyes were wide as he panted, shifting in an effort to get _closer_ to Light, turn his body more towards the teen’s, his thoughts in minor disarray at the way Light was drowning him in sensation. _It’s not even a question, I forgave you everything long ago, if I ever held it against you in the first place._

 

Light’s fingers stroked L’s hair, tangling and untangling as they twisted deeper, like the words he wanted twisting into L’s mind. “I could never fault you for wanting _me_ back, whatever your reasons.” _Were they selfish reasons or to close your case?_ Light was so close their chests were nearly touching, but he wasn’t going to move further until he knew the answer to that question. He sighed into L’s neck, “And what will you do, now that you got what you wanted?”

 

That question made L laugh, and he finally found his voice, whispering emphatically as he turned his head to look Light in the eyes. “ _Kira._ I understand _everything._ ” Licking his lips, thrilling at the feel of fingers in his hair, he added softly, “What will I do… whatever you _want_.” Before he could second guess himself, he pressed one hand to the floor and leaned _in_ , closing the short distance between them and pressing his mouth to Light’s, letting his eyes fall shut.

 

Light’s already bright eyes shone at L’s words, thrilling inside to hear the detective say his _name_ without distaste or accusation for the first time. _Whatever I want?!_ He wanted so much, to show L everything, to shower him with pleasure and secrets in this elevator, risk be damned. His heart was beating erratically, breath caught in his lungs as he watched L lean in to kiss him. _Oh fuck yes..._ The electricity that had arced between them for so many months now set them ablaze and Light was burning, pressing his mouth back against L and wrapping an arm around the man so they were skin to skin. He didn’t care anymore if his hair was mussed or his touch sticky with sweat, it was better this way. They had both stripped off their disguises and what was beneath was raw and _real_.

 

Months of pining and wishing and imagining couldn’t have prepared L for actually _getting_ to kiss Light; and _oh_ , how he had wished, _so many times_. In the beginning, he had imagined any seduction that might have happened between them would have been merely a physical extension (on both sides) of their cat and mouse game, neither one yielding their secrets even as both tried to pry those secrets free with pleasure. His fantasies had slowly begun to change as he got to know _Light_ , though he couldn’t have pinpointed when exactly he had begun wishing for _more_. But this? He had never imagined something quite _this_ emotional, quite _this_ satisfying, this needy press of skin against skin, arms around him as he pressed his own hands now to stroke lightly down Light’s back. Losing the masks they had worn for so long with each other was a little scary, maybe, but the fact that _neither_ of them were shying from this made something clench happily in his chest, unable to hold back the muffled sound of longing he let out into that intense kiss.

 

Light’s fingers had involuntarily clenched hard in L’s hair as the kiss became deep and passionate, and he forced himself to relax them. _I’m not going to hurt him._ How many times had he wondered what L’s hair felt like, what it would be like to taste his mouth just like this? _L tastes like sugar and strawberries._ He smiled into the kiss before pulling back with a delighted laugh, his eyes dancing between L’s eyes and lips. “You’ve _amazed_ me, L.” Unable to hold back, he kissed L again, both hands tangling into the detective’s hair as he moved to straddle L’s lap. Tilting L’s head, he kissed and licked along the man’s neck, savoring the salty taste beneath his tongue, and the unique taste of L beneath that. He hummed low, sucking L’s earlobe into his mouth and tonguing it before needing to devour those lips again. He was achingly hard, desperately turned on as he rocked against L’s lap for some friction.

 

Those magic fingers relaxed their hold on his hair just before Light pulled back, and L had to blink up at him in a daze, smiling so hard at the teen’s laughter that his cheeks _hurt_ as he asked curiously, “How?” He giggled into Light’s mouth when he was kissed briefly, and he couldn’t help but be amazed, _himself,_ when Light slid into his lap, because _holy shit,_ he hadn’t expected that at _all_. “ _Jesus_ , Light,” he gasped, hands sliding down to clutch at Light’s hips, grinning and sliding them down further to grab the teen’s perfect ass, squeezing teasingly before hissing out a stuttered breath at the _wonderful_ friction of Light grinding into his lap. The way Light was licking at his skin as he rocked against him was _extremely_ hot, and even inexperienced as he was, he wasn’t going to waste any more time being _timid._ “You are so _hot_ ,” L whispered, only to be cut off when Light kissed him thoroughly, and he licked into the teen’s mouth with a low moan.

 

Light panted as L squeezed his ass, encouraging him with his eyes to touch as much as he wanted. Predictably, the praise made him smile, and he rewarded L with a slow grind of his hips against the erection he could feel beneath L’s jeans. He reached one hand down to stroke L’s chest, wanting to be touched in return. Breaking the kiss, he grinned against L’s lips, “I should warn you...I don’t know what I’m doing. Anything past a kiss…” A blush rose on his cheeks at his inexperience, and at divulging that he and Misa hadn’t really _done_ anything. _So now he knows the relationship was a sham._ He idly played with L’s nipple, brushing his thumb over it back and forth as he licked teasingly at L’s lips. “So if I do anything wrong, tell me.”

 

When Light broke the kiss to divulge _that_ information, L blinked up at him in surprise, enjoying the feeling of fingers against his chest. “Really?” _I didn’t need to be worried about being just another in a long line of conquests, then._ He giggled at the ticklish sensation of Light licking at his lips and stroked his fingers up and down Light’s back, a happy smile spreading across his flushed face as he admitted, “I, uh… guess we’re in the same boat, then, because… I’ve never done _any_ of _this_ before.” _Will he be surprised that he’s my first… everything? Probably not._

 

“Still think I jinxed the elevator? Seems pretty _lucky_ to me.” Light was only half-joking, feeling far less animosity towards whoever butchered the wiring than he did before. It seemed doubtful they ever would have been _this_ honest if not trapped under extenuating circumstances. His hand trailed down L’s stomach, and he watched the man’s reactions with a little smirk as his fingertips dipped below the waistband and teased the skin beneath. “So...everything will be new for both of us. But I think two people as intelligent as we are can figure it out.” _And you did say I could have anything I wanted._

 

L’s laughter was warm and breathless as he wrapped his arms snugly around Light’s waist, murmuring softly, “You’re right… I really _can’t_ be mad when I have a lap full of _Kira_.” His lips curved into a happy, lopsided little grin, the muscles of his stomach clenching deliciously when Light’s fingers teasingly stroked under his jeans. _Ohhh, you’re going right for the kill._ He let out a shuddering breath, tilting his chin up and shifting Light back slightly to give his searching fingers better access, eyes dancing gleefully as his grin widened. “I look forward to figuring things out with _you_.”

 

Light’s breath caught and he throbbed in his pants to hear L call him _that_ again, it sounded incredibly sexy coming from L’s mouth now, under these circumstances. L was going to get a lot more than just a _lap_ full of Kira if he kept that up. He leaned forward to kiss L again, his fingers reaching further down L’s pants until he _barely_ brushed the tip of the man’s cock. However, before he could move another millimeter, the lights in the elevator flickered and the whole box lurched upwards sharply before starting to move at a slower-than-usual pace. Light pulled back with a gasp, looking over his shoulder at the formerly-dark button panel. _All the lights are back on!_

 

L let out a satisfied little gasp into the kiss when those fingers brushed against him, shifting underneath Light to try to get more, but of course the elevator somehow chose that moment to come back online and start moving. _What the hell?_ He peered up at the button panel in consternation, mouth hanging slightly open at the timing. “Cock-blocked by the goddamn wiring,” L muttered as Light pulled his hand from his pants, eyes drifting up to see that the blinking little light was back on on the video camera. His eyes widened and his mouth went dry as he realized that Watari was going to get enough of an eyeful, already. _Oops. SHIT._

 

Light looked back to L with a giggle, extracting his hand from the man’s pants. “I don’t know if that was the _worst_ timing in the world or the _best_. Maybe we can get out of here and continue...elsewhere?”

 

L’s eyes met Light’s and he grinned fiercely, quickly leaning in to whisper, “We are _absolutely_ going to continue this elsewhere. I’m not done with you yet.”

 

Light laughed at L’s quip, but cut himself off abruptly as he followed L’s eyes to the video camera that was now blinking red again. His eyes widened and he quickly stared down at the floor, slightly panicking about what Watari might have seen. _Heat does funny things to people. Maybe I can make up some excuse?_ But really, what excuse could he have for reaching into L’s jeans? _‘I was taking his pulse?’_ Light grimaced in embarrassment, but he’d face that problem later. He moved off L’s lap as the elevator rose another floor, watching in anticipation as it ground to a creaky stop at their floor. “Oh hell yes...we’re there.” He took a deep breath and looked at L, mumbling, “Here goes,” as he pressed the ‘Door Open’ button.

 

L immediately reached to grab his shirt, tying it around his waist (because he had absolutely _no_ desire to put the sweaty thing back on), and as the elevator ground to a halt again, he snatched up Light’s discarded shirt and tie, joining the teen at the door.

 

The door shuddered, making a noise of metal-on-metal as it opened up not much more than a foot. But it was enough to see that they were between floors, and _probably_ enough to wiggle out of. Light frowned, “Shit. I’ll have to hoist you up and then you give me a hand from the top.” He looked at L to see if he had any better ideas, suddenly feeling an overwhelming urge to get the hell out of this deathtrap, and not _just_ because he wanted to get L into bed as soon as possible. _But mostly because of that._

 

The situation was ridiculous, but already better than before, because at least now they had a way _out_. “I’m more flexible, so yeah, you better let me be the first out. Give me that boost now?” He gave Light a confident grin, because _this_ kind of thing he could do in his sleep, and he took the boost Light gave him, snagging the edges of the door and wiggling around to pull himself out of the elevator with only a little bit of difficulty. Panting a bit, he peered down into the elevator at Light and braced himself, leaning down and holding out his hand, unable to resist asking brightly, “Do you trust me?” Giggling under his breath, he wondered if Light would realize what he was quoting. _So I like Disney movies from my childhood, sue me._

 

 _Aladdin at a time like this?_ Light grinned up at L, “If I didn’t trust you, I’d be in a ‘whole new world’ of shit about now.” _For several reasons._ Chuckling, he grabbed L’s outstretched hand, pushing and wiggling until he squeezed through the gap and lay panting on the floor of the hall. “Finally!” The crack had been tighter than it looked and he’d had a tougher time fitting through than L had. He sighed, smiling at the cool, air-conditioned air surrounding them, the firm ground beneath their feet. “Feels good to breathe again.”

 

Light’s return quip about Aladdin brought a wide grin to L’s face, and he couldn’t help but begin humming the song under his breath as he helped the teen out of the elevator, laughing softly when Light finally sprawled on the floor. “It didn’t take you _that_ long to get out. Come on, let’s get back so we can get out of these gross clothes.” _And take advantage of some privacy and that comfy bed._ Without waiting for Light, L started down the hallway, smiling to himself when Light caught up, and he chuckled as he thought about how… _fitting_ that song actually was for them. _A whole new world? I’d like to know more, for sure._

 

Light stood up, not bothering to put on his sweat-soaked shirt as he hurried after L towards their room. The hallway was lined with cameras but he purposefully avoiding looking at them and trying not to make the bulge in his pants any _more_ obvious than it already was.

 

He turned the corner to the door leading into L’s apartment when Light stopped short, swearing silently in his head. He grabbed L’s arm before he went down the hall, pulling him out of sight of Watari who was standing in front of their bedroom door, talking into his cell phone. Light whispered softly to L, “Shit! He didn’t see me, but what are we going to do?” L would have to be the one to deal with this, because Light only knew Watari in a professional sense and had _no_ clue how to get them out of this situation and into the bedroom as fast as possible.

 

L was abruptly pulled out of his thoughts when Light stopped him, and with a sigh, he glanced around the corner to see Watari. “Hm. If you _want_ to put your shirt back on, I can let you in and tell him to go away.” He looked back at Light and said, “Or you can wait here. Up to you. Either way, I’m telling him to go away.”

 

“I’ll uh…” Light peered around the corner quickly, and the tone of Watari’s voice didn’t sound like he was in the best mood. Ducking back, he whispered, “I’ll stay here. Let me know when you get rid of him.”

 

L nodded, gaze flickering briefly over Light’s naked chest before smiling at the teen. He strode out around the corner, hands stuffed into his pockets as nonchalant as a clam, completely ignoring Watari.

 

“Ryuzaki,” Watari called to him as he noticed him, immediately hanging up and frowning. “Where is Light?”

 

“Recovering from trying to climb out of the elevator,” L said shortly, stepping past the man and punching in the door code. “I got a look inside the electrical panel, by the way. It’s a bloody _nightmare_.” He shot Watari a withering look as he stepped into the room, reaching to turn on the light before pulling out his phone and opening it to his picture app, showing the offending photos to the older man. “Thumbtacks? _Seriously?_ If _you_ don’t get that shite actually _replaced_ this time, I will personally see to it that someone guts the entire elevator system.”

 

Light listened to L and Watari’s conversation best he could while staying out of sight, only sorry that he couldn’t see the look on Watari’s face if and when L showed him the pictures of the wirebox. _Someone’s probably going to get fired for that after Watari rains brimstone on their heads._ He cringed when the very first question out of the older man’s mouth was asking where he was, so Light knew that Watari’s suspicions were already raised. _Or maybe he’s just concerned about our safety? That was a dangerous situation and partially his fault._

 

Watari looked at the picture impassively, a mustache twitch the only indication of surprise. “Ryuzaki, I need to ask-”

 

“ _No_ , you don’t need to ask me _anything_ ,” L cut in, clicking the phone off as he frowned. _He KNEW this was a possibility, didn’t he?_ Turning away, he moved across the room, untying his shirt from around his waist and dropping it pointedly into the laundry hamper as he said in an intentionally snotty voice, “Unless you’d like to tell me who you hired so I can get _my_ money back, you can piss off, because I’m not in the _mood_ for being interrogated right now.” L could feel Watari’s gaze on him, and without even looking, he could tell that the old spy had taken in every pertinent detail of his current _state_.

 

Watari’s voice was heavily disapproving when he finally said, “He is _still_ a suspect, L. What you’re doing is... unwise.”

 

“Fix the elevator and then you can berate me all you bloody well _want_ ,” L muttered, folding his arms in front of him. Watari looked at him and then sighed, retreating. L knew that it wasn’t over, in all honesty, but… he couldn’t bring himself to care. Only when he moved to the door to make sure Watari was truly _gone_ did he call, “Light, you can come in now. He’s gone.”

 

Light couldn’t hear anything else when L and Watari went into the apartment, but he breathed out a sigh of relief to eventually hear footsteps in the stairwell and L’s voice telling him the coast was clear. He practically ran down the hall into L’s room, just in case Watari had second thoughts and decided to come back to be a nuisance. As soon as the door was closed behind him, Light pulled L into his arms, giggling madly into the detective’s neck. “Thank fuck he’s _gone_. That was close. I wonder if he suspects anything?” _I couldn’t care less if he does._ His hands slid into L’s back pockets, squeezing his ass as he pinned L up against the wall. “ _Please_ tell me you gave him a dressing down for those wires.”

 

L was just beginning to do a quick sweep for bugs when Light ran in and immediately pulled him into a hug. _Ohh, I could get used to this_ , he thought, grinning, arms immediately going around Light and laughing low as the teen backed him against the wall. “Well…”

 

Light’s voice went lower as he felt himself getting excited again and the anxiety ebbed away, “And please tell me I can dress _you_ down.” His hands moved to the front of L’s jeans, one hovering at the button while the other stroked a thumb up and down L’s length. He popped the button, nipping at L’s lips and ready to pick up where they left off.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There will be one final chapter after this one, which will be the steamy ending this fic has been building up to. Thank you for reading!


	5. Arrival

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Light and L finally made it to the privacy of L’s apartment...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The rating went up ;)

L cut himself off with a soft gasp when Light began stroking him through his jeans, and he glanced at his phone before deciding there was no point. There was little-to-no chance that Watari would have had _time_ to bug the room, and if he were listening… _Well, we’ll just give him an earful to go with that eyeful._ L’s lips curved up in a smile as Light nipped at them, and he tossed his phone onto a chair as he murmured into Light’s mouth, “ _Fuck_. Light, you can _dress me down_ all you want.”

 

L’s mumbled words were all the permission Light needed, and he quickly opened L’s pants fly and pushed the jeans and boxers down his thin hips. Kissing L felt different now that they were alone and could relax, now that he didn’t have anxiety in the back of his mind. Light could completely enjoy it, focus only on the person in front of him and the new sensations and emotions he was feeling.

 

L giggled and kissed Light soundly, shifting his hips out slightly from the wall to accommodate as he reached for the fly on Light’s pants, only stopping again long enough to whisper, “Though if you want to move to the bed, I won’t complain.”

 

Light made an approving noise into L’s mouth as he felt L’s hands at his pants, reaching around to knead L’s ass in his hands and barely able to keep still enough for his pants to be undone.

 

Squirming, L let out a breathless giggle as he unzipped Light and slid his hand down Light’s pants to tease long fingers around the teen’s erection. _Finally!_

 

Light was breathless and slightly dazed when L broke the kiss to suggest moving to the bed, and he was about to pull L that way, but the delicious feeling of long fingers _finally_ wrapping around his cock and stroking rooted him to the spot and pulled a soft moan from his lips. His eyes closed and he breathed out “...more,” before kissing L again.

 

 _Why was I so afraid to let myself feel this way earlier?_ L found himself thinking, laughing into the kiss and utterly _delighted_ at the eager way Light disrobed him, squirming even more at the way he was _touching_ him now they weren’t stuck in that elevator. It seemed to L that what they had lost in a sense of urgency was definitely made up for in single-minded _intent_ , now they didn’t have to worry about being caught. He couldn’t help but pout slightly at Light when the kiss was broken, but that soft little moan falling from the teen’s lips made up for it, pulling a low, hissing breath from him as he squeezed lightly. Lips curved up into a grin and he _stared_ as Light leaned in to kiss him again. L’s breath caught as he stroked, and he pulled away to pant breathlessly into Light’s shoulder, “I think there’s some lube still in the bedside table on my side of the bed…”

 

 _L’s suggesting that right away? Yes..._ Light lifted L up and let him wrap his legs around his waist, impatient as hell now that he knew what L wanted. He turned and moved them to the bed, breaking the kiss reluctantly to toss L against the heap of pillows on the bed.  Panting hard, he threw open the bedside drawer and grabbed the lube, giving L a coy smirk like ' _and what were you using this for hmm?_ ’ He kicked out of his pants and black underwear, climbing on top of L and settling down against him.

 

L wrapped his arms and legs around Light as the teen hoisted him into his arms, inwardly thrilling at the easy way Light carried him. _Either he’s stronger than he looks, or I’m too skinny_ , he thought, but he was too caught up in Light to care about thoughts like that right now. He had an idle thought of how _fun_ it would be if Light just threw him on the bed and kissed him messily, and when Light actually _did_ toss him down like he’d wanted, a delighted gasp left him, followed by a fit of giggles. “Did you read my mind?” he asked breathlessly, staring wide-eyed as the teen rummaged in his drawer. That look on Light’s face brought a slightly self-conscious grin to his face as he settled more comfortably into the mattress, elated when Light kicked out of his clothes and finally, _finally_ settled over him. _Oh shit._

 

L stared up in awe, lips trembling and hands shaky as he reached up to trace his fingertips gently over the teen’s face like he had wanted to do from the first moment he’d ever seen him. He traced down the contours of Light’s nose, lightly stroking his temples, a tender caress to his lips, and he smiled happily up at the teen when Light brushed his hair back from his face.

 

Light smiled, bringing his face close to really look into L’s eyes. “I’ve dreamed so long of this.” His fingers brushed over L’s cheek, caressed his bottom lip.

 

Hearing Light say that ( _he dreamed of ME?!_ ) took L by surprise, and he whispered, “You _did_?” into the space between them. _I didn’t think he wanted me quite as long as I wanted him._ That soft sensation of fingers ghosting over his bottom lip made him shiver, eyes fluttering partially shut.

 

“Uh huh.” Light laughed softly, “From the moment you had the _bad manners_ not to die when I wrote your decoy’s name on TV...I knew I had to _have_ you.”

 

L giggled low at that comment, tongue flicking out to graze Light’s finger before giving him a knowing look. “So… you had to _have_ me, did you?”

 

There was nothing between them now, nothing but skin over two hearts, and it was marvellous how _right_ everything felt. How warm and comfortable L’s body felt against Light’s, how their lips fit together perfectly as they kissed, how soft L’s skin was beneath his teasing mouth as he licked down the man’s neck and chest.

 

Skin to skin as they were, there was nowhere to hide, _not_ that L wanted to hide anymore. He arched up against Light, arms moving to encircle the teen as he smoothed his hands up and down his back, kneading into his shoulders lightly before sliding down to grip Light’s ass again. But Light was moving too, sliding down his body and trailing his mouth and tongue against his skin as he went. “Oh fuck, _Light_ ,” he moaned out, low and _aching_ as he tangled his fingers into Light’s hair. He was drowning again, trying desperately to feel everything, to not miss a single sensation, but there was too _much_.

 

Light looked up through his bangs and placed a soft bite against L’s hip, grinning as he licked across to the other side and did the same thing. L had pointed out the lube, but maybe he didn’t want to get fucked right away. He moved to blow hot breath over L’s cock, giving it a long slow lick from base to tip, and watched to see how L liked that.

 

L could hear his pulse racing in his ears, feel it pumping through him like fire, and the sight of Light grinning up at him from between his legs as he teased did absolutely nothing to help his situation. _But this is what you want,_ a smug little voice said at the back of his mind, and he shoved it away. A loud moan left him when Light bit his hip, and then did it _again_ , and he practically _writhed_ from the stimulation when Light gave him that maddeningly slow lick. “Oh _fuck,_ ” he moaned, giving Light a pleading look as his cock twitched, fingers now fisting in the sheets. There was something about it being someone _else_ touching him that made the sensations so much… _more_ enjoyable. “Light, _please._ _More_.”

 

 _Wow, he’s going to be loud in bed._ The noises coming from L were driving Light crazy, and he immediately lowered his mouth again, licking the same way as before but engulfing L’s cock when he got to the end. He scooted forward and bobbed slowly, stroking his hands over L’s thighs as he spread them wider and watching L’s expression. _I’ll tell him how sexy he looks when my mouth isn’t full._ Light pulled off after he could feel L throbbing in his mouth, not wanting him to come _quite_ yet.

 

A low, strangled cry left L when Light took him into his mouth completely, and the sudden wet heat engulfing him and warm hands stroking his skin quickly had him writhing under Light, his own hands coming up to stroke into the teen’s hair. His eyes screwed shut as the new sensations soon became overwhelming, panting out a desperate, ‘ _Yes, Kira!_ ’ as he throbbed, only to have Light pull back. _What?_ L couldn’t help but pout, wondering why he’d stopped, but seeing Light reaching for the lube was _very_ promising. _Ohshit._

 

Each time L called out in ecstasy, _especially_ when he called him Kira, made Light’s heart pound faster, his own cock ache with need. He loved the feeling of L’s long fingers clenching in his hair, and the knowledge that _he_ was the one making stoic, deadpan L come alive with his touch. Light smiled up at L as he reached for the lube, murmuring, “How are you liking my _lying mouth_ now, hmmm?” He giggled quietly, teasing his tongue over the head just to watch L’s cock twitch some more. “You’re so damn sexy, so responsive.”

 

“I always liked your _lying mouth_ ,” L murmured, only to inhale sharply, breath hissing in through his teeth at the nearly overwhelming sensation of _that tongue_ dragging against his cock. It was almost enough to make him miss what Light said, and he blinked belatedly down at the teen, a dazed, pleased smile flitting over his lips. _He really thinks I’m…_ “ _You’re_ teasing me like this, and _I‘m_ the one who’s sexy?” he said breathlessly, knowing that _he_ certainly wasn’t going to complain about the compliment when Light was doing _that_.

 

Light slicked his fingers and sucked just the tip between his lips while circling L’s entrance, waiting to make sure that the detective wasn’t having any second thoughts. One finger slipped in at the same time that Light took L’s cock as deep as he could and hummed, drawing his head back while sucking _hard_. It was difficult for him not to wiggle against the bed to get some friction, or sit up and ram his own cock down L’s throat, but watching L fall apart was so delicious he didn’t want to stop until he _made_ L come. _I’ll make him come again when I fuck him._ Two fingers were now plunging in and out, twisting to get L’s body to relax for a larger invasion.

 

L propped himself up slightly to watch, his eyes widening and mouth falling slightly open from the utterly erotic sight (and feel, _oh god_ , did it feel incredible!) of Light sucking him like _that_ , and he rocked forward against that teasing digit until he felt Light finally, finally press his finger inside, head falling back now with a loud, agonized moan. The way Light was swallowing him down was relentless, drawing desperate, needy sounds from him as he took the plunging fingers, his own fingers once again clenched in Light’s hair as he felt his pleasure building once more. _Fuck_ , he thought dazedly, face hot as a particularly loud _‘ahhh, Light_!’ fell from his lips, _I’m not going to last long like-_

 

Light let L’s cock fall from his lips once more as he curled his fingers up, reaching for where he guessed L’s prostate might be. He didn’t really know what he was looking for exactly since he’d never done this for someone _else_ , but when he hit it, he knew L would let him know. “How’s that feel?” He moved a little deeper, pressing and circling, “Or this?”

 

Arching up off the bed, L hissed again at the sudden jolt of _too-much_ pleasure as fingers curled into him. Light was asking him something, but he couldn’t make sense of it as Light’s fingers began massaging deeper inside of him, and _right there, yes, that’s the spot!_

 

Light watched in amazement as the very _vocal_ detective rocked eagerly onto his fingers and became increasingly desperate for more of that sensation Light was equally eager to provide. He memorized the spot that made L moan and grind down, his eyes wide as L took the initiative to grab his shoulders and fuck back against his hand. _Holy shit!_ It felt like he was seeing the real L at last, the passionate human being beneath the armor he always had worn before. “ _Yes, L_...come on, come for me!" _Fall apart for me. No more secrets. No more masks._ He banged faster, harder, meeting L’s shuddering body and knowing the man was close.

 

L’s breathing was becoming erratic as he ground down with a wordless whine, fingers gripping Light’s shoulders tightly as he mindlessly sought the pleasure that was rapidly making him lose control. Every thrust of Light’s fingers inside him sent full body shudders through him until he finally came, moaning loudly, body clenching and unclenching through the aftershocks and eyes wide open. It took a full minute for L to relax into a boneless heap, letting out a slow breath of, “Holy _fuck._ ”

 

Light should have been paying better attention to where his face was, but was too entranced with watching the writhing man beneath him to do anything but keep massaging that spot until L finally came with a blissful moan. It wasn’t until he felt hot liquid against his cheek and neck that he thought to move back a little, not that it bothered him. _God, I’m such a filthy mess by now._ The thought made him smile as he turned to wipe his face on his shoulder, stroking against L’s insides gently to let him catch each wave of his orgasm to the end.

 

Light let out a long sigh as he slowly pulled his fingers away, noticing that L was definitely completely relaxed and lubricated now. He kissed and then bit the inside of L’s thigh to get his attention, rocking his erection against the bed. _I’m not going to be able to keep control much longer._ He looked at L through sticky bangs, whispering, “Look what you did to me.” He grinned against L’s skin, demanding seductively, “Come clean up the mess you made before I fuck you into the bed.” L didn’t know it yet, but when Light was done with him, he’d be needing to take a sick day from work. _And I’ll fuck him all day tomorrow too._

 

L was still dazed from his orgasm, but not so dazed that he didn’t notice Light’s attempt to get his attention. He whimpered at that bite to overly sensitive skin, shifting his gaze to smile down at Light, lips parted to speak, but whatever he had been about to say disappeared when he saw the shockingly _arousing_ sight in front of him. He sucked in a breath, pushing himself up on his elbows and reaching out to touch Light’s cheek, and then his bangs, blushing and giggling and _turned on_ by how _ridiculously_ hot it was to see the remains of his come spattered across Light’s face and neck.

 

“Oh Jesus, _Light_ ,” he whispered, biting his lip to stifle the breathy whine that had been starting in his throat, eyes wide as he stared. That grin and the way Light was squirming against the bed made it clear that the teen needed to get _off_ , and Light’s seductive little demand merely _confirmed_ it. L’s breathing sped up and he straightened hurriedly, reaching out to tug Light up and into his lap again, murmuring, “You _promise_?” His own, answering grin was brief as he threaded his fingers through Light’s hair, tugging the teen’s head to the side before lowering his mouth to lick at the stray, cooling droplets on his shoulder. Light’s reaction sent a thrill through him and he couldn’t help but grin again, humming contentedly and taking his time to lick and suck every drop from Light’s exposed neck.

 

Light let himself be pulled into L’s lap, eager to be skin to skin with the detective again. “Oh I definitely _promise_.” He was fully intent to take every shred of pleasure he could from L’s body, despite the temptation to ask ruinous questions, like ‘ _what will this mean tomorrow?’_ or _‘what are we going to do now?’_ Light held them back as he straddled L’s lap eagerly, not wanting to spoil the moment. He squirmed against the man’s stomach impatiently, eyes half-closing as L’s warm tongue began to lick him clean. Whispering, “ _Oh fuck…_ " he clenched his legs around L’s middle, fingers snaking into L’s hair to encourage more of that mouth on him.

 

“I’m sorry I made such a _mess_ ,” L whispered with a pleased smile, gaze going to Light’s now as he pressed a playful bite to the teen’s jaw. He stroked his fingers against Light’s scalp for a moment before turning his face to kiss him hard and _messily_ , pulling away after a brief moment and licking a long, slow stripe up Light’s cheek.

 

Light let his head fall to the side to give L all the access he wanted, panting softly, “You know...I always thought you had an oral fixation.” He sighed with arousal as L’s tongue continued to stroke up his skin, “The way you’d always sit there licking ice cream cones or lollipops or...bananas.” That made Light giggle but it was silenced as L kissed him hard, and he grabbed L’s thin body tightly, arms moving around his back to melt into this, into him.

 

The way Light’s body felt against L’s pulled a soft pant from him, thrilling at Light’s fingers threading through his hair like a wordless encouragement, and he couldn’t help but chuckle. _I wondered if he would bring that up_. Light was right on the money about his _oral fixation_ , though, as if what he was doing didn’t make that _obvious_ , and in all honesty, if L could have ever gotten away with it before, if Light wouldn’t have rejected him on principle at the time, he might very well have thrown his ‘ _professionalism_ ’ out the window and blown Light right at headquarters. That thought made him exhale hard against Light’s jaw, and he pulled back from the kiss to give Light a wicked, knowing grin. “Oh… You have _no_ idea.”

 

 _I knew I was right about his oral fixation!_ The thought that he actually didn’t know how deep that fixation went made Light throb in anticipation of testing it out. “Oh really? Then, I intend to get a _very_ good idea before tomorrow’s done.”

 

 _Oh, you want a demonstration, do you?_ “Hmm… I could blow you in the shower tomorrow,” L said breathlessly, anticipation making his body clench pleasantly. “I could…” he whispered, giggling before sealing his lips against the pulse point of Light’s neck, tongue lapping up the sweat before sucking a faint mark into his skin. Trailing his lips up Light’s neck, he continued, “I could blow you at headquarters.” Licking at Light’s ear, “Like I’ve always _wanted_ to do.” L sucked Light’s earlobe into his mouth, teasing with his teeth before releasing it and whispering cheekily, “If I do say so myself, I have _quite_ a skilled tongue. I could always put it to use _elsewhere_ , if you’re interested.”

 

“You _did_?” Light gasped softly at L’s assertions, curiosity and anticipation burning in his mind as he gave the detective an excited look. The idea of L blowing him at headquarters was so wickedly delicious, and he could envision them teasing each other ‘innocently’ while at work, until they had some opportunity to slip away. He could _already_ tell L’s mouth would be incredible---honestly, Light had thought _that_ months ago from the way he ate and always played with his mouth. “ _Hell_ yes...there’s nowhere on me I _don’t_ want your mouth.”

 

L’s eyes gleamed, another wicked grin pulling at his lips as he imagined all of the places he could-- _no, save it for later._ His gaze flitted over Light’s face, grin widening even more as he saw what he still needed to _finish_. “Mmm...I really didn’t _mean_ to make a mess, by the way,” L finally said, voice low and teasing now as he got back on track, punctuating each sentence with another teasing lick. “I was a little… _preoccupied_.” Exhaling shakily, “You have quite an _interesting_ effect on me.” Pulling away, L inspected Light’s face, smiling to see that his _mess_ was all gone. _Now he’ll just be sticky with sweat and my spit. Probably not much improvement._ “It won’t happen again…” Pausing, L considered him, eyes dancing with mischief and excitement; he was already more than half hard again, and the thought of doing it again-- _on purpose next time_ \-- made him twitch with arousal. “Unless… Kira _liked_ it?”

 

Light was flushed breathless when L pulled away, the slow licks up his face making him close his eyes and moan quietly. Softly, “Maybe I _want_ it to happen again, maybe I want to do it to _you…"_ He looked down at L with bedroom eyes at L’s provocative question, intending to explore every _bit_ of the so-called effect he had on the man. “Kira _definitely_ liked it.” He wondered idly how sex-starved L really was, whether he really could get the workaholic detective to take a day off and spend the whole time in bed with him tomorrow.

 

L’s stomach flipped pleasantly at the thought, _oh god, how hot would it be for him to come on MY face?_ And though he had seen that it wasn’t a turn _off_ for Light, hearing him outright say that he _liked it_? L had never heard anything sexier in his life. “Kira…” he whispered, breath hitching as he stared deep into those bedroom eyes, trailing his fingers down to stroke at Light’s cheek and neck. _MY Kira. Shit._ He was throbbing with arousal again, eager for it now. L grinned fiercely at him, leaning away slightly and asking hopefully, “Are you going to fuck me now, _Kira_?”

 

L’s question perfectly answered the one in Light’s mind, and he smirked as he shifted his legs to release their grip on L’s waist. “So hungry, aren’t you? Just got off and begging for more.” His tone was teasing though, he loved seeing L so turned on, and it would have been an unimaginable sight only a few hours ago. Light’s hands traveled down L’s thin arms until they encircled his wrists, prying them away from his body. Leveraging L back onto the bed, he held L’s wrists down as they kissed once more, moving between L’s legs. Between their kiss, he murmured, “Yes, I’m going to fuck you now.” He gathered both of L’s wrists in one hand, using the other to position himself at L’s entrance. “I’m going to fuck you _now_ , and _all night long_ , and _all_ day tomorrow.” He lowered his mouth to L’s neck, sucking at the sensitive flesh as he pressed himself in slowly, angling his hips to try and brush against that remembered spot. He moaned against L’s neck as he slid in deeper, panting out, “Give everyone a day off tomorrow.” _Deeper still_.

 

“ _Yes_ ,” L moaned, shivering as Light pressed him back into the bed, holding his wrists down, and squirming under the teen as Light kissed him again. Anticipation was making him a little sloppy, but that didn’t matter with the way Light was kissing his neck, punctuating his kisses with little pauses as the teen outlined what he planned to _do_ , and it felt like L’s body was catching fire as Light pressed inside so slowly. It was a different kind of invasion than just Light’s fingers, but the stretch felt _incredible_ , and L moaned loudly at the sensation. _Oh god, all night AND tomorrow?!_ That whispered command made him whisper harshly, “ _Yes_ , Kira, anything!” _I’ll make everyone leave if you give me THIS again._

 

“I’m going to fuck you on your desk.” Light thrust in hard, right against L’s prostate, before pulling out again almost all the way. “And you’re going to ride me on mine.” Snapping forward again, he captured L’s lips in a searing kiss, building up a steady rhythm.

 

 _Oh Jesus, that is hot_ L thought, dazed. Light wasn’t done tormenting him, clearly. “Oh my _god_ ,” he gasped, body jolting on that first thrust, and for a moment he saw stars… but then Light did it again, and _again_ , and he found himself moaning under the onslaught, too caught up in the searing kiss and the new, overwhelming sensations to do anything more than wrap his legs around Light’s waist and grind down on his cock.

 

Light slowed down when he felt himself getting too close too fast, wanting to draw out the moment. But L was so _tight_ , his body so responsive, that it pulled panted moans from Light with each slow thrust. It was a completely different sensation than he’d ever gotten...alone, but beyond that was the exciting backdrop of who they _were_ and who they could now be.

 

L laughed low, knowingly when Light slowed his thrusts; _he_ had already come once, so it wasn’t as frantic for him, even if the way Light was thrusting slowly now inside of him was surprisingly _sensual_ , a bright, shivering pleasure that made his toes curl, and he let out a shaky breath at the sound of those _moans_. He wanted to close his eyes against it, just _feel_ it, even as he simultaneously wanted to _stare_ , to take in the way Light looked as he was moving, the look on his face, the sweat beading on his forehead and chest, and he exhaled hard again as he leaned up to lick the salty liquid off the teen’s skin. Once L was finally able to recover from the kiss, he asked breathlessly, “Will you still fuck me on my desk if I can’t turn the cameras off?” Because truth be told, even if he _couldn’t_ turn the recording cameras off in the monitor room, he would _still_ let Light fuck him all over the room just for the thrill of it.

 

L’s question made him grin and exhale a laugh, and Light stopped completely to look down in amusement. “You know...it occurs to me that I never got a chance to dare _you_ to do anything.” He pushed in as deep as he could, leaning hard to make L take him completely. He didn’t pull back, instead rotating his hips as he licked from L’s neck up to his lips. In a teasing, seductive voice, “That’s just unfair. So I think I’ll dare you to let me fuck you on your desk _with_ the cameras on.” He supposed that L already guessed that Light enjoyed the thrill of _almost_ being caught, given who he was. The only person who reviewed the security footage of HQ was Watari, and the old fart deserved a little shock for getting them stuck in the first place.

 

Light’s agonizingly slow thrusts stopped completely, and for a moment, L thought he’d said the wrong thing, but then Light was thrusting up hard into him, pulling a loud, breathy ‘ _aaahhhh!_ ’ from him. That teasing swivel of hips into him made him whine, writhing and grasping as Light was hitting _just_ the right spot, _oh god, yes, right there!_ That issued dare made him laugh breathlessly, staring up at Light in aroused disbelief. _Ohhh, you cheeky devil._ “I wasn’t aware we were still _playing_ ,” he said, squeezing his legs tightly around Light’s waist and wiggling underneath him teasingly, lips curving into a pleased smirk. He lowered his voice, eyes falling half shut in what he _hoped_ was a good approximation of a sultry expression as he purred, “Challenge _accepted_.”

 

Light sped up again, releasing L’s wrists to wrap his arms around the man and hold him tightly. He was close now whether or not he wanted to be, his fingers clenching at L’s back, nails digging in as he lost himself to this new pleasure. He reached a hand between them, wrapping it around L’s cock and stroking in time with his movements as they kissed messily. _Would L come again so soon? Let’s see._ He pounded harder and moaned into L’s mouth as an intense orgasm shuddered through him, switching to twisting strokes and hoping he was still hitting the right spot in his daze.

 

The way Light immediately pulled him into his arms took L’s breath away, and he slid his arms around Light’s back in return, holding the teen tightly and kissing him for all he was worth. It was sloppy, and it was _perfect,_ and as Light shuddered over him, those twisting strokes and his continued thrusts against L’s prostate-- _how is he still_ \-- finally pulled a muffled moan from L as he felt his orgasm start. His body clenched, cock spasming weakly between Light’s fingers as he felt more hot, sticky liquid spattering on his stomach, and he found himself half sobbing and half laughing as he pressed _into_ those thrusts, drawing it out as long as he could until they both stilled. He lay in Light’s arms, a quivering, over-sensitized, but _happy_ mess, and as he stroked his fingers into the damp hair at the nape of Light’s neck, L could do nothing but _breathe_ out one soft, reverent word. “ _Kira._ ”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ZJ: As for what happens after this, it is up to the reader, but in my mind they go on to rule the world together. In the short term? L gets a very nice day off tomorrow ;)  
> Ghost: Aaaand Watari has a heart attack when he reviews the footage. XD Cheeky boys!
> 
> Hope you enjoyed it! Please check out the wonderful fan art that @givemeadeathnote drew for this fic (https://givemeadeathnote.tumblr.com/post/189217541766/confined-spaces-ghostoftasslehoff-zombiejesus). Check out their art blog on tumblr!

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! ZJ is writing for Light and Ghost is writing for L.
> 
>  
> 
> Check us out on Tumblr!
> 
> ZJ: [Kiranatrix](http://kiranatrix.tumblr.com/)  
> Ghost: [GhostOfTasslehoff](http://ghostoftasslehoff.tumblr.com/)


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